Emmerdale star Jaye Griffiths has shared that there was a missed opportunity for her character Celia Daniels, who was unable to form strong friendships. As the fiery farmer is due to depart in the near future, will she harbour regrets?

Celia made a bold entry to the Dales back in June as her dog came into contact with Paddy Dingle. Since then, it’s been revealed that she is working with adoptive son Ray Walters on a sinister criminal operation, which involves drugs and enforced labour.

On the more legal side of things, Celia has made deals with Moira Dingle, and Griffiths has explained that the pair could have shared a friendship in another life if it weren’t for Celia’s misdeeds.

“Now you see, in another universe, there’s a part of Celia, if Celia were not Celia, she and Moira could have been friends,” said the actor. “There’s a couple of scenes where there’s a glimpse of what could have been, were she not her.

“Of course, she blows it, of course she does, and severs ties and will not even commit to a friendship with Moira. You can see through her life how she’s missed out, because this is replicated over many years.

“She forms friendships, but there is an absolute opportunity for her to do it differently, and she has failed every time to seize that opportunity. You think, ‘What happened to make you [like this], because you weren’t born like this?’

“‘What happened that made you so brutish, so unfeeling, to not ever care? Something very, very bad has happened to you’. Not to excuse her, but it would explain [it]. She didn’t come out [of] the womb like this.”

The actor’s latest words come ahead of her impending departure from the ITV soap, though it is currently unclear how her exit will take place. Whatever the circumstances, it seems the decision will be permanent,

“I knew it was finite, which I am very sad about, because I would like to stay forever,” said Griffiths, who has also appeared in The Bill and Casualty. “But it’s such a strong arc that – yes. I could have just said that, yes.”