Lisa Riley admitted she never thought she'd be able to overcome her reliance on alcohol after a painful time in her life. The Emmerdale actress, 48, chatted to Ranvir Singh this Thursday, August 15, 2024, on daytime show Lorraine to discuss the latest soap drama ahead for her ITV alter ego, Mandy Dingle. After selling her services online as a financial dominatrix , the character could be set for heartbreak as she gears up to marry Paddy Kirk, played by Dominic Brunt .
But while drama is rife in the Yorkshire Dales, Lisa Riley had her own share of heartache off-screen as she told the presenter about her sobriety battle, revealing she would celebrate a milestone in her sobriety journey . "You've got an anniversary coming up on Monday, haven't you?", Ranvir said, launching the conversation, prompting Lisa to acquiesce. "I'm nine years sober.
I just stopped drinking for the good and better for me. I prefer me now, sober. I never thought I'd be sat here with you now saying that this coming Monday I'm going to be nine years sober.
" Ranvir then questioned her over what triggered her to stop drinking to which Lisa replied: "I was self-medicating with alcohol, I wasn't sleeping because I'd lost my mum. I wasn't coping very well and then, getting up early for work, you have to go to bed because you're going to be knackered." "A bottle and a half, two bottles of Malbec helped completely in those times and it's just a game I played with myself, and I was like: 'I'm going to try and get through a christening, I'm going to try and get through Christmas without it.
" "All of a sudden, you become obsessed with the fact that I can sit here and say 'nine years' but back then, it was like 'I've done three months, I've done four months." And the ongoing challenge motivated her. This comes after the soap legend confirmed the Emmerdale cast will be part of a memorial episode for the late Steve Halliwell as villagers will attend Zak Dingle's funeral in upcoming scenes.
"We started shooting the memorial episode, actually, Monday just gone (August 12)", Lisa first announced, adding Steve Halliwell was like a father to her. "And our beloved Steve Halliwell, you know, he's like my father for years in the show, he taught me so much and we're doing a dedicated episode for him. That's what he deserves.
Yeah, he is the ultimate icon of Emmerdale, the king of the Dingle family and he deserves everything and more. We'll do him proud." Steve portrayed Mandy's uncle Zak Dingle on the show from 1994 until his death in 2023 , though he hadn't appeared in the show months prior to his passing.
The actor died on December 15, 2023, at 77 years old after a long period of ill health , prompting many of his co-stars - including Lisa - to pen him emotional tributes. Months after his passing, soap bosses confirmed Emmerdale would air a funeral episode for his character Zak Dingle. But before viewers can see what Emmerdale bosses have in store for the head of the Dingle clan, they will first have to find out if Mandy and Paddy are headed for the rocks as the latter's father Bear Wolf, played by Joshua Richards , has recently found out about her secret online activity.
In an extract from this Thursday's episode, aired on Lorraine, Mandy and Paddy's wedding is left on the brink of disaster as Bear confronts her to find out if she's put an end to her secondary job. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads ..
