Emmerdale star Alicya Eyo reacts to Ruby's shock death: 'It was a great way to go'
Emmerdale's helicopter crash claimed its first victim in Wednesday night's episode (August 5) as Ruby Haswell was killed off.
Ruby was badly injured when the helicopter hit the village hall and she tragically slipped away before emergency services could arrive on the scene.
The emotional episode marked the end of Alicya Eyo's time with the ITV soap after nearly four years playing the role of Ruby. Show bosses managed to keep her departure under wraps until the episode aired.
Digital Spy caught up with Alicya this week for a chat about her top-secret exit, how she feels about Ruby being killed and what's next for her career.
How are you feeling now that your time on Emmerdale has come to an end?
"It's a mixture of feelings! I finished a couple of weeks ago now and I feel as though I'm only just settling with it. It's been such a big part of my life for almost four years and it's all-consuming, so when it's taken away, you feel a bit lost!
"But to be honest I'm also really excited now to see what comes up next. I've already got a few little projects under way. I obviously miss everybody at Emmerdale a lot, but I'm not planning on disappearing from their lives or having them disappear from mine. I think I'll be having a few nights out in Leeds!"
How long ago did you find out about Ruby's death and how did you react?
"It was a good few months ago now that I had the heads-up, and I was so excited about the storyline. If you're going to go, what a way to go - it's not every day that you get a helicopter blade to the abdomen! (Laughs.) Just to be part of the episode was brilliant and I feel really honoured.
"I couldn't wait to shoot it and it was even better than I expected when we did. The atmosphere was electric. Playing Ruby's death scenes was quite hard and sad, but I was just so lucky to have such a great director and Laura Norton (Kerry) and Liam Fox (Dan) there filming with me. I couldn't have wished for it to be any better."
Were you glad to have Laura and Liam there for the last scene?
"I really was! We've been on such a journey together as our characters, so to be all there together at the end was great. I think it was written beautifully - we saw their personalities, the jokes, the sadness and the realisation that Ruby was dying. It was just so really well done and those two are a dream come true to work with."
Were you sad not to have Kelli Hollis (Ali) there?
"I was, but at the same time I'm kind of thankful because I think I might have lost the plot if she had been! (Laughs.) I managed to hold my emotions together just about. It would have made sense for her to be there, but on a personal level it would have been a lot harder.
"We've been on such a journey together and we've been a big part of each other's lives, both on and off screen. There would have been a danger of being tipped over the edge I think and I wouldn't have stopped crying!"
Has it been tricky to keep your Emmerdale departure top secret?
"It has been, but I also quite enjoy stuff like that because I wanted the episode to have as much impact as it could. I didn't even tell my family and there were loads of people who I'm quite close to but decided not to tell until after the episode had been on! I've been asked some difficult and tricky questions so that's been the hard part, but I've managed it!"
Can you tell us about the fond memories you're taking away with you?
"There are so many. I think the biggest thing was just how much of a good time I had at Emmerdale. It's a real family there and it's been a massive part of my life for the best part of 4 years. I'm going to miss the people and just the general atmosphere on set. I really enjoyed going to work every single day - that's such a fortunate thing to be able to say.
"I'm going to miss everyone, not just the cast but also the crew and the catering staff. Everybody makes it an amazing experience. But like I say, I'm not going to leave them alone - I'll probably just hide out on set and lurk behind the café! (Laughs.) I'll miss it terribly."
Will you carry on watching the show to see what happens next?
"Definitely, I'm hooked now! I want to see the journeys of the other characters and the fallout after the crash. I watched the show anyway even before I'd joined it and it'll be really interesting to see what happens next."
What were your favourite storylines to work on?
"This helicopter crash was right up there! I also really enjoyed the baby issue, with Ruby trying to get pregnant. Ruby's mum was introduced around that time too. The response from the fans to Ruby wanting a baby was really positive. I thought that was quite an important story."
The Spencers were introduced as a family from hell, but do you think the viewers warmed to them in time?
"I think eventually they did! It was great that the producers took a risk. You were either going to love or hate those characters, but we felt that it was a good response from the majority of people. It was tricky at first because when any new family comes into a show, it shakes the audience a bit. They've already got their favourite characters and it takes them a while to accept the new ones.
"We couldn't have wished for anything better in the end. I had 80-year-old women coming up to me in Asda saying, 'I hope you get that baby, girl!' I didn't really have a negative response, so I was quite lucky."
Were you glad to have the opportunity to represent a lesbian couple on screen?
"I was absolutely honoured. Obviously I'm out myself anyway, but I was really pleased - especially for it to happen on Emmerdale. The show has a rural setting so to bring in characters like that was a risk, but I think it was necessary.
"It's all about normalising LGBT people and I think the soap genre has a big responsibility with that. I think they're doing it really well across the board in all soaps. It's also given me a platform to do a lot of charity work and help out with lots of LGBT issues."
Ruby was often seen as an underused character. Do you think she deserved more storylines?
"It's swings and roundabouts. The show has such a big cast, so it takes time to get your time to shine. I think she did enough, though. She was always there and it may not have seemed like she got big stories all the time, but not a lot of people do. The writers have got to be very careful, because everyone has to have their story and have it shown.
"I don't feel cheated or like I've missed out on anything. I'm pleased with Ruby's journey and I quite like the fact that she was quite subtle and understated. It's great if people wanted to see more - I'd rather have that than have people be sick of seeing me on screen!"
What are your future ambitions?
"At the minute I'm just excited to be a jobbing actor again - to see what comes along and go to auditions. It's been a while since I've been out there - I've definitely been out of the loop. I've already got some things in the pipeline so that's quite exciting. I'd definitely like to do more theatre and stretch some different muscles. The idea of it terrifies me and I like the fear! It'll be exciting to see where I'm going to land."
Would you do another soap?
"I'd never say never. I don't think I'd go into one immediately because it's a very different beast and it's a big commitment. When I joined Emmerdale, I was so lucky to get regular work - we all know that in this profession it's hard to come by. Hopefully it's given me a platform to go on and do a few different things before I commit to something long-running again. If it came along in the future, of course I'd consider it."
How would you like the fans to remember Ruby?
"Just with fondness, to be honest! Hopefully she'll be missed. I hope if people have memories of her, they're good ones. There were a lot of people who related to Ruby. I had a lot of letters from people in similar situations and hopefully they feel that a bit of their story has been told."