Charley Webb confirms she has left Emmerdale after 19 years following husband Matthew Wolfenden's 'race row'
- The actress, 33, said she left the soap a year ago but didn't feel the need to announce it
- Charley played Debbie Dingle for 19 years and has been absent since the start of 2021
- She returned for 10 weeks briefly at the end of the last year to finish a storyline
- It comes as her husband Matthew Wolfenden, 41, and Isabel Hodgins, 27, were reportedly embroiled in a race row - something which they have denied
- Mixed race actress was said to be upset after her accent was mocked on the set
Charley Webb has confirmed she has left Emmerdale after 19 years.
The actress, 33, addressed speculation she had quit the soap for good after her husband Matthew Wolfenden, 41, was reportedly embroiled in a race row - something which he has denied.
Taking to Instagram on Monday night for a Q and A, Charlie, who played Debbie Dingle, said she 'never felt the need' to announce she wasn't appearing on screen.
Departed: Charley Webb has confirmed she has left Emmerdale after 19 years (pictured in 2019)
When a follower asked: 'Have you left Emmerdale?', Charley replied: 'This is always my most asked question but I've never answered it before because I've never wanted to make a big deal of it.
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'I left to have Ace 2 years ago. I went back at the end of last year for 10 weeks to complete a storyline.
'So, I guess officially it's been a year. I never felt the need to announce it which is why we didn't.'
Breaking silence: Taking to Instagram on Monday night for a Q and A, Charlie, who played Debbie Dingle, said she 'never felt the need' to announce she wasn't appearing on screen
The actress 33, addressed speculation she had quit the soap for good after her husband Matthew Wolfenden, 41, was reportedly embroiled in a race row
The mother-of-three, who is proud mum to Ace and sons Buster, 11, and Bowie, six, addressed the rumours which emerged last week saying she had no plans to go back.
Webb's character Debbie, who is living in Scotland, has been absent from the show since the start of 2021.
An insider told The Sun at the time: 'Charley is closing the door on Emmerdale for good and won’t be going back.
'The past few months have given her time to think about the future and it is one that doesn’t involve Emmerdale. Matthew being caught up in the row on set fuelled her decision to step away.'
In October, Matthew, 41, was accused of making an inappropriate comment to a mixed-race female cast member on set.
Race row: In October, Matthew, 41, and Isabel Hodgins, 27, was accused of making an inappropriate comment to a mixed-race female cast member on set
He and Isabel Hodgins, who plays Victoria Sugden, were also facing claims that the mixed-race actress’s accent was ‘mimicked’.
Both stars - who joined the soap in 2006 - have categorically denied claims of racism and have suggested the whole thing was a misunderstanding.
It was later alleged the actor had also had a row with Aaron Anthony, who plays Ellis Chapman.
Anthony, 28, has reportedly told Emmerdale bosses he will quit the show when his contract expires.
Matthew who plays David Metcalfe on the soap, and Isabel, who plays his on-screen girlfriend Victoria Sugden, won't return to screens until 2022 following their on-set row, according to reports.
Neither have been seen on screen since October 28.
Long time: The actress played Debbie Dingle on the soap opera for almost 20 years (pictured on the show in 2005)
Despite both actors having returned to the Harewood set, filming for the soap takes place six weeks ahead of airtime, meaning neither will appear in Christmas storylines, said to be 'a disappointment for the bosses and scriptwriters'.
A source told The Sun: 'It is very unlikely that Matthew and Isabel will be back on screen before Christmas [as] they have only just returned to the set, and as Emmerdale is filmed six weeks in advance, that puts their return date in January.'
The added: 'It was a disappointment for the bosses and scriptwriters, but they of course understood that the appropriate enquiries needed to be made.'
Matthew's representative declined to comment when approached by MailOnline. Isabel's representatives have also been approached for comment.
The source also noted that 'neither actor has been suspended' from filming.
Their absence was addressed on Emmerdale when their characters were said to have travelled to Portugal to visit character Diane Sugden's new home.
Nineteen years: Some of Debbie's tense storylines included her having a fling with married man Andy Sugden and becoming a mother to Sarah when she was 15
Some of Debbie's tense storylines included her having a fling with married man Andy Sugden and becoming a mother to Sarah when she was 15.
She also fell in love with Jasmine Thomas, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman but was left heartbroken when her father Cain had an affair with her girlfriend.
Debbie later had a relationship with Cameron Murray who tried to kill her in a drama-packed episode which saw them desperately trying to stay afloat after becoming trapped in the pub's flooded cellar.
A few years later, Debbie starts dating Pete Barton but she then has an affair with his brother Ross, with the pair planning to run away together just days before her wedding to Pete.
Romance: Debbie also fell in love with Jasmine Thomas, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman but was left heartbroken when her father Cain had an affair with her girlfriend
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