Emmerdale has aired Brenda Walker’s exit after 17 years on the soap.

Brenda’s (Lesley Dunlop) departure storyline began a few weeks ago when she revealed she had won a three-month cruise in a magazine competition. She was unsure about claiming her prize, but ultimately decided to embark on the adventure with her former stepdaughter Cathy Hope as her plus-one.

Yesterday, Brenda told Jacob Gallagher that she’ll be stopping off to see her 12-year-old granddaughter Molly in Canada, as part of the cruise. Jacob suggested that she should consider a more permanent move there, insisting he would look after Eric Pollard following his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.

In tonight’s episode, Brenda’s concerns about leaving Eric were renewed after finding out he’d had a fall. Eric downplayed the situation but Kerry Wyatt revealed she had “found him sprawled on the kitchen floor”.

“You women, with respect, do like to catastrophise. It was nothing. Now go, pack your bags,” Eric told Brenda.

However, his ex-partner wasn’t convinced and insisted she would stay if he needed her, telling him: “You just have to say the word.”

After an emotional conversation, Eric reminded Brenda that travelling the world was her dream and he wasn’t going to let her sacrifice her happiness for him.

Later Brenda visited Heath Hope’s grave, apologising for not being able to visit for a while. She was joined by Bob Hope who reassured her that he would take over her visiting duties.

“I’m so chuffed that you and Cathy are gonna be living the high life, seeing the world,” he told her. “After all you’ve been through, you deserve every minute.”

The fan-favourite character was given a warm send-off from her loved ones; including Eric, who caught up with them in the nick of time. He told her that it wasn’t a goodbye, it was “just au revoir”.

But will Brenda be back, or will she listen to Jacob’s advice?