Charleston: 'Emmerdale role bored me'

Anne Charleston has admitted that she grew bored with her role as Emmerdale's Lily Butterfield.

The actress joined the Yorkshire-based soap for three episodes in September 2006 before signing up for a longer contract in March the following year. However, in April 2009, it was announced that she was leaving the programme.

Asked in an interview with PA whether she was sad to bow out, Charleston replied: "Not really. I really wanted to do the show and I love the show and the character, but they just started to turn her into a special extra and I was seriously bored and depressed. I thought it was a pity because I think she had enormous possibilities.

"I loved working with Shirley Stelfox (Edna Birch), Meg Johnson (Pearl Ladderbanks) and Paula Tilbrook (Betty Eagleton) - they were just great. But they just weren't giving me enough to do and I was away from home.

"If you're away from home, you need to be doing something interesting, otherwise it becomes a bit unbearable. If they'd done something good with the character I'd have loved to stay on."

Charleston, who also played Madge Bishop on Neighbours until 2001, added that her departure was mutual as there was no point in keeping her "to sit around in the Woolpack saying nothing".

The star will join the Calendar Girls stage tour later this year.