Emmerdale actress Jaye Griffiths has confirmed she is leaving the ITV soap after just four months, calling her departure “very sad” but describing her time in the Yorkshire Dales as one of the best experiences of her career.

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Celia Daniels’ Reign Comes to an End

Griffiths, 61, joined Emmerdale earlier this year as Celia Daniels, a manipulative farmer who quickly became one of the show’s most chilling villains. Her character has been at the heart of a dark storyline involving modern slavery, county lines drug dealing, and the exploitation of April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan).

Now, as Celia’s fate looms, Griffiths has confirmed that her stint on the soap was always intended to be short-term — though she admits she’s sad to say goodbye.

“I knew it was finite, which I am very sad about because I would like to stay forever,” she told BANG Showbiz. “But it’s such a strong arc. It’s heaven, one of the nicest places I’ve ever worked, and I’ve done a little bit of work before!”

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A Villain Audiences Love to Hate

Despite Celia’s cruelty, Griffiths said she’s been overwhelmed by positive reactions from fans — though she knows that may not last for long.

“Everybody comes up to me in the street and tells me how much they love Celia,” she said. “And I think, ‘yeah, that’s not going to last!’ I want to remind people it’s just pretend and I am really nice. I’m not a sociopath!”

The actress, who previously appeared in The Bill, Doctors, and Bugs, admitted that playing someone so heartless has been both “horrifying and freeing.”

“Sometimes, when I read the script, I think, ‘Really? You’re going to make me say that?’ Just when you think she’s gone quite far enough, they’ll make me go a bit further!”

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Using Fiction to Shine a Light on Reality

Griffiths hopes Celia’s storyline will draw attention to the real-life issue of human trafficking and modern slavery, reminding viewers that such crimes are happening much closer to home than many realize.

“It’s not happening somewhere far away — it’s happening next door,” she explained. “There are people whose passports have been taken, whose phones have been taken. Celia has a line, ‘we never take local.’ You take the waifs and strays and make them feel useful, and then you trap them. It’s hideous.”

She continued:

“Hopefully, maybe conversations will start to be heard. Maybe every nail bar, every car wash — people might just stop and think. How do you, as an ordinary person, help? I asked a police officer, and he said, ‘I don’t know.’”

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“Bring It On” — Playing Fearless to the End

Reflecting on her time in Emmerdale, Griffiths said she found joy in portraying a woman who has nothing left to lose.

“I love her,” she said. “It’s so wonderful to explore someone who doesn’t mind whether you like her or not. She’s fearless because the worst has already happened — and she survived. So bring it on.”

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Jaye Griffiths’ final episodes as Celia Daniels are expected to air in the coming weeks, with her exit tied to the dramatic fallout from the ongoing slavery and drug ring storyline.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.