ANOTHER major Emmerdale star is devastated after being axed from the soap amid a cash crisis at ITV.
Actress Susan Cookson – who plays nurse Wendy Posner in the ITV soap – has been given the chop after seven years and she has already filmed her final scenes.
Sign up for the Emmerdale newsletter
A source said: “Susan was devastated at the decision. She loves the show and loves being part of it.
“She’s really well liked in the cast but unfortunately budget cuts mean hard decisions need to be made and that resulted in Susan being one of a number of cast leaving.
“ITV is going through a cash crisis with the soaps and the money just isn’t there to pay for everyone any more.
“Ultimately if the character isn’t inspiring a lot of story from producers then there’s no space for them in the show anymore.
“There’s certainly a worry on set about who will be next to go.”
She was introduced as the mother of rapist Lee Posner and his brother Luke but quickly realised what a monster her son was and settled in the village to support his victim Victoria Sugden with their child Harry.
More recently her relationship with Bob Hope was tested when she had an affair with Dr Liam Cavanagh.
The source added: “The door is very much being left open for Susan in future and it’s hoped that one day she could return to se her grandson Harry.”
Susan is the latest high profile star to leave the soap.
The Sun revealed how Paula Lane would be leaving the show in the new year and now it can be confirmed that bosses decided to axe her child killer character Ella Forster.
Emmerdale abuser Tom King makes big mistake with nurse Wendy Posner
A source added: “The days of characters coming in in low profile ways and being bedded in for a year or two are long gone.
“Newcomers need to make an instant impact with secrets and mysteries but they don’t always work.
“It’s brutal but it’s how things in telly work now.”
Over Christmas Will Taylor was killed off after actor Dean Andrews was axed after six years playing the reformed criminal.
Actress Daisy Campbell opened up about her devastation at being axed from the show after 13 years playing Amelia Spencer.
Brenda Walker actress Lesley Dunlop is also leaving the show after 16 years playing the cafe owner.
And Roxy Shahidi’s character Leyla Harding is set to be killed off in an explosive stunt in the new year too.
Meanwhile sister soap Coronation Street is going through the same crisis with some of the cast being worried about paying their mortgages.
A source told The Sun: “The cast of Corrie is huge and some aren’t getting enough episodes.
“A few paid per episode are struggling to pay mortgages are having to supplement income with personal appearances and ads on Instagram.”
They went on: “A lot of cast members are now on ‘guest contracts’ like Maureen Lipman and Kate Ford.
“These are short term, so they can come and go and take extended breaks.
Axing everywoman characters like Wendy Posner is a risky move
The Sun’s Soaps Editor Carl Greenwood reveals why axing Susan Cookson could be a big mistake
EMMERDALE bosses may have made a big mistake in axing actress Susan Cookson.
Everyone knows that soaps survive because they bring dramatic moments and explosive highs – but they get away with this because they have ordinary characters in amongst the chaos.
And that’s what Wendy was – an everywoman who everyone could relate to.
She was one of the few characters who was strong enough to realise exactly what abuser Tom King was and face him down.
And her affair with Liam Cavanagh and all the murder mystery caper was actually a rare example of Emmerdale getting an affair storyline right.
Susan is the type of actress who should be in soap – she’s brilliant at drama and comedy and more importantly you can imagine living next door to whoever she plays.
Obviously with the cash crisis comes budget cuts but soap bosses need to be very careful in deciding which characters to axe.
The village won’t last long if it’s packed with serial killers, conmen and abusers – there has to be some more grounded, normal characters in there too.
I suspect this could turn out to be a bigger mistake than first thought.
“The cast have been told they can’t guarantee any contracts beyond the end of 2025.
“Bosses are trying to use a lot of the younger cast who are on less money so the episodes are cheaper to make.
And Corrie boss Kate Brooks told The Sun how 2025 will see a number of axeings as she makes her mark on the cobbles.
She said: “There are a few exits this year, and some unexpected ones that will send shockwaves.”
