Emmerdale’s first blind character Lizzie Lakely will arrive in the village this Spring, causing uproar amongst the locals due to her remorseless bad behaviour and mischievous antics.

Lizzie is an old friend of Lisa Dingle’s and is on community service after a petty crime conviction. She has even been tagged to ensure she doesn’t breach her curfew conditions, but hasn’t learnt from her past mistakes and conceals the reason for her visit when she arrives in the village to begin community service, much to Laurel’s confusion.

Lizzie will be played by actress Kitty McGeever who is the first blind actress to be cast in a British soap. Kitty lost her sight at the age of 33 as the result of an illness. Kitty trained at RADA and her previous television credits include Beautiful People and London’s Burning. In addition to her acting career, she works as a stand-up comedienne and is a regular performer on the comedy circuit. Kitty will arrive on-screen in April.

Kitty says “I’m thrilled to be joining Emmerdale as Lizzie and delighted that the show is challenging stereotypes in this way. Lizzie spells trouble from the word go and will be causing all kinds of strife in the village.”

Gavin Blyth, Series Producer says “Kitty is an extremely talented actress and I’m pleased that she will joining the show, marking the arrival of such a fascinating character. Lizzie is forthright and fun and she’ll soon prove that she isn’t afraid to manipulate circumstances to her advantage. She’ll no doubt ruffle feathers and make friends in equal measure and we looking forward to embracing the opportunity to explore how the residents of Emmerdale react to that.”