Louise Appleton in Emmerdale was played by Home and Away legend Emily Symons.
Her biggest storyline involved being terrorised by a stalker and is currently being played out on screen on Classic Emmerdale.
So who was stalking Louise?
Who was Louise Appleton in Emmerdale and who was stalking her?
Louise Appleton arrived in Emmerdale in June 2001 to work behind the bar of the Woolpack.
She quickly became very close to Diane Sugden, though their friendship hit a rocky patch when Diane slept with Rodney Blackstock, who Louise was dating.
Louise then got involved with Ray Mullen and even moved in with him.
However, Louise was left terror-struck when she found she had a stalker.
The tormentor would call her at home and work, send her flowers and gifts with death threats and she was left in fear of her life.
Ray was by her side supporting her the whole time.
The village – and Louise – began to believe it was Terry Woods who was stalking her. He became a virtual outcast with no one believing he was innocent.
Eventually Terry was arrested and Louise believed her ordeal was over.
However, when she got a phone call from her stalker while Terry was in a prison cell, she realised she wasn’t safe.
Ray persuaded her they should start a new life in Italy and they planned to leave on Christmas Day.
What happened to Ray Mullen in Emmerdale?
Little did Louise realise her tormentor was far closer to home…
As they drove out of the village on Christmas Day 2002, Louise finally put two and two together and realised Ray was her stalker.
Desperately trying to escape him, she grabbed the steering wheel and the car flipped and crashed into a ditch.
Louise was unharmed and she left unconscious Ray slumped against the wheel.
She went back to village, believing her torment was over.
However, she was wrong.
Ray had survived and turned up at her house.
As he confronted her, she lashed out, hitting him over the head and sending him plummeting down the stairs.
Louise knew this time he really was dead and she covered it up, with the help of besotted Terry.
They made it look like there had been a break-in and Ray had been killed by the burglar.
When Ray’s brother came to the village after his death, he told Louise she was his only girlfriend to have survived a relationship with him.
To this day, very few people know what really happened to Ray.
Did Louise and Terry get together?
Despite Terry laying his heart on the line, Louise wanted to be just good friends.
She started dating married man Ronnie Marsden and then local vicar Ashley Thomas.
Louise eventually realised she did have feelings for Terry though and the couple decided to buy the B&B together.
But she embarked on a passionate affair with Matthew King and ended things with Terry – only to discover Matthew had been using her and dumped her days later.
With her tail between her legs, Louise headed back to Australia to lick her wounds.
When did Louise leave Emmerdale?
Louise came back and began dating police officer Martin Crowe – played by Graeme Hawley who went on to be none other than John Stape in Coronation Street!
Although she struggled to be a mum to his daughter Kayleigh, they all moved into the Woolpack together.
But things fell apart when Martin set out to arrest Sam Dingle who had helped his terminally ill wife Alice to die.
When Martin then found out about Louise’s part in Ray’s death, they split up, although he promised not to report her to the police.
Louise moved on to Jamie Hope – the much younger son of Bob Hope. After many ups and downs they eventually got engaged, but things were called off when she was accused of cheating.
After it was revealed she had won a beauty contest in Australia and the man she’d been accused of cheating with was her manager, Jamie and Louise left for Australia together in October 2008.
However, Jamie returned in June 2009 and revealed Louise had dumped him for a man who looked like Crocodile Dundee.
Louise has been mentioned since her departure.
Ashley referred to Laurel by Louise’s name when he was suffering dementia, and Louise also donated to Sarah Sugden’s cancer treatment fundraising page in 2017.
Who played Louise Appleton in Emmerdale?
Louise was played by Emily Symons.
Emily was a well-known face in Soapland before her arrival in the Dales due to her starring role on Aussie soap Home and Away.
She played Marilyn Chambers on and off from 1989 until 2001 before coming to the UK.
After leaving Emmerdale as Louise, she returned to Home and Away in 2010 and remains there today.
How old is Emily Symons?
Emily was born on August 10, 1969, making her 53 years old.
When she first started playing Louise Appleton in Emmerdale she was 32 years old.
The actress was 39 when she departed the Dales.
Is Emily Symons married?
Emily was married to Lorenzo Smith, a son of Viscount Hambleden and descendant of stationery tycoon W.H. Smith.
They wed in 2003 and remained married for two years, divorcing in 2005.
She was also engaged to footballer Matt Le Tissier and dated Emmerdale co-star Matt Healy, who played Matthew King.
The pair broke up before she took part in Dancing on Ice in 2007.
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How many children does she have?
Emily has been very open about her IVF struggles.
In 2015, she revealed to New Idea: “I very much thought it couldn’t happen and I was too old.
“I thought it would be impossible but it isn’t.
“I’d given up, really, I thought I had tried every avenue that was available to us. My advice is to not give up if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole process.”
She fell pregnant with then partner Paul Jackson in 2015 and welcomed son Henry Richard Francis Jackson at the age of 46.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs weekdays at 1.30pm and 2.05pm on ITV3
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