Emmerdale boss Kate Oates has paid tribute to Alicya Eyo following her heartbreaking on-screen exit.
Wednesday's episode saw Eyo's character Ruby Haswell killed off after she was badly injured in the helicopter crash disaster at the village hall.
Dan Spencer and Kerry Wyatt loyally stayed by Ruby's side even though the building wasn't safe, but they were both left devastated as she passed away before emergency services could reach the scene.
Explaining the decision to kill off Ruby, Oates commented: "It's never a decision that we take lightly. We are very much an ensemble and everybody's role in the show is as important as everybody else's.
"You get some soap families that are in the show for many years and some that run their course and I felt that maybe that had happened with the Spencers.
"But I knew that Alicya would give a fantastic performance and she didn't let me down. She played it really well."
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Asked how Eyo reacted to the news that she was being written out, Oates replied: "She was a total pro. She's a complete professional and she's one of those actors who has done various shows - different theatre, different television. She was in Bad Girls for such a long time.
"Once it came to filming the scenes, she just gave it her all and that's what you want from an actor."
Ruby's death won't be without its repercussions, as the grief of her wife Ali Spencer will be explored on screen.
Oates confirmed: "You will see Ali again. That character group needs its pain and Dan's got some really hard news to break. Dan's going to struggle with that because he couldn't save Ruby. I think we saw Kerry handle that situation brilliantly and Dan go to pieces. He beats himself up over it in the coming weeks."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
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