AN Emmerdale legend addressed his future as he celebrates 25 years in the ITV soap.
Viewers were first introduced to Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) back in September 2000.
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Some of Bob’s big storylines over the years include losing children Heath and Dawn, as well as battling homelessness.
Now approaching 25 years in the role, Tony, 60, discussed what the future holds for him.
He told The Sun Online: “I came in for three months. Still there 25 years later!
“There’s something to be said for turning up on time. Learning your lines.
“It’s been brilliant, I love Emmerdale. I love it at work. It’s an incredibly talented group of people – cast, crew, writers, everybody.
“I’ve been very lucky to be there so long. I’ve had a quiet time recently, having had a very busy couple of years.
“So I imagine I’m going to be a bit busier soon.
“I’m going into work today and finding out what’s going on in the next few months.”
Tony added: “I’m happy to be there as long as they want me there.
“But, also, I know that there’s not many stories I suppose that Bob could do. Everything’s happened to him.
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“They certainly don’t owe me a living at work. I don’t really have itchy feet to do anything else.
“I just enjoy doing things, whatever those things are. I enjoy stuff.
“I love the process of doing things. So, I’m very happy to be there.
“If they decided my time was up, you know, thank you very much. It’s been brilliant. Let’s see what else I can do now.”
Off-camera, Tony is preparing to tackle the London Marathon on behalf of charity Pancreatic Cancer UK.
The aim is to raise £2 million for the first-ever early detection test for pancreatic cancer – a breakthrough that could save lives.
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer
PANCREATIC cancer doesn’t always cause symptoms in its early stages.
As the cancer grows and you do begin to show signs, these may come and go and be unspecific, making it hard to diagnose, according to Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Common symptoms include:
- Indigestion – a painful, burning feeling in your chest with an unpleasant taste in your mouth
- Tummy or back pain – it may start as general discomfort or tenderness in the tummy area and spread to the back, which get worse lying down and feel better is you sit forward
- Diarrhoea and constipation – see a GP if you have runny poos for more than seven days, especially if you’ve lost weight as well
- Steatorrhoea – pale, oily poo that’s bulky, smells horrible and floats, making it hard to flush
- Losing a lot of weight without meaning to
- Jaundice – yellow skin and eyes, as well as dark pee, pale poo and itchy skin
It is especially poignant as the actor tragically lost wife Ruth to the disease back in 2017.
Tony told The Sun Online: “Ruth had a big involvement with the charity, she was very grateful for the work that they did.
“So when it became the official charity partner for London Marathon and I got asked to do it, there’s no way you could say no.
“It felt like the right time.”
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