Louise Jameson may have been on Emmerdale for less than a year, but her character Mary Goskirk has already become a fan-favourite.

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Rhona's (Zoe Henry) mum quickly won the hearts of fans with her matter-of-fact, positive attitude and her personal journey – discovering her attraction to women later in life.

Jameson returned to the ITV soap in March last year, having previously appeared as Sharon Crossthwaite in 1973. Being given an emotional arc as Mary was crucial for the Doctor Who star to take the role, as she told RadioTimes.com.

Louise Jameson as Mary in Emmerdale
Mary wants to fall in love again. ITV

"I did go in for the character chat right at the very beginning and I was going to say, 'Don’t give me a cardigan and a zimmer frame because I'm 70,'" the actor recalled.

"And I hadn't hardly drawn breath, I hadn't got the sentence out and they're going, 'So we're going to make her a late life lesbian.'

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"OK! Absolutely! Let's do that, it's an important story, and I'm sure there are lots of women out there who have not expressed their sexuality perhaps in a way that is now completely possible to do but wasn't back in the day."

In earlier episodes, Mary opened up on her sexuality to Kim Tate (Claire King), with some fans hoping their bond would progress into a romantic connection.

"That blossoms a little further," explained Jameson. "That's all I'm allowed to say at the moment!"

Louise Jameson and Patrick Mower as Mary Goskirk and Rodney Blackstock in Emmerdale.
Mary involves Rodney in her search for a date. ITV

And while we don't know if a relationship with Kim is on the cards for Mary, the latter is surely giving love another chance.

After being in love with a female neighbour who has since died, Jameson's character had mostly kept to herself. Recently, however, she started using dating apps, with one woman in particular, Faye, catching her eye.

"You'll have to watch this space! I did film some very interesting scenes today," teased Jameson.

Things with Faye may have got off to a bumpy start when she revealed she'd be leaving for Ecuador, but now she's back in the Dales, we sure hope these two will give it another shot.

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Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Soapshub.

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