Is Victoria Sugden star Isabel Hodgins leaving Emmerdale?
The following article contains spoilers from an episode of Emmerdale dated February 11. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX.
Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) makes a huge decision in today’s episode of Emmerdale, and it leaves her brother Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) heartbroken.
The duo have had a stressful start to 2026, as they’ve found themselves being blackmailed by the ruthless Joe Tate (Ned Porteous).
After Corriedale, Joe told the Sugden siblings that he had video footage of Victoria covering up John Sugden’s (Oliver Farnworth) murder. He said that if they didn’t give him the Sugden farmland, he’d send the footage of Vic to the police.
Robert was also forced to help Joe frame Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb), which has left him with the view that selling the family land really was the only option.
Victoria hasn’t had the same outlook as Robert, as she’s been wracked with guilt following John’s death. She knows if the confrontation in the woods played out differently, Moira wouldn’t be behind bars.
It left Vic contemplating handing herself into the police but yesterday, she reached the end of her tether, and realised she had to give Joe what he wanted.
Is Victoria Sugden leaving Emmerdale?
Yes, Victoria Sugden is leaving Emmerdale.
In today’s episode, now available on ITVX, Victoria heads to see Moira in prison. She explains her plan to sell the Sugden farmland to Joe, and how she needs Moira’s signature on the contract before the exchange is completed.
Moira is heartbroken, but eventually comes to accept that Vic is doing what is best for her family. She signs, and tells Vic to look after herself as she holds back the tears.
After giving the contract back to a very smug Joe, Victoria tells Robert that she’s getting a flight to Portugal tomorrow with Harry, to see Diane.
It breaks her heart to admit it, but Victoria tells her brother that the village holds too many bad memories now, and she wants to leave to start her life again elsewhere.
Why is Victoria Sugden leaving Emmerdale?
Vic is leaving to facilitate Isabel Hodgins’ maternity leave. The star is pregnant with her first baby.
The actress, who is married to Adam Whitehead, confirmed her pregnancy in August last year.
Speaking to OK! Magazine at the time, the actress laughed about how Adam, 28, was actually the one to tell her that she was expecting.
‘Isabel was late by a few days, so she did a test. But then, she just threw it on the floor, and it was upside down just lying there,’ Adam explained.
‘I didn’t want to look at it, as I felt it would make time go slower to stare. But Mr Impatient comes along to look at it and sees that it’s positive,’ Isabel joked.