Roxanne: 'I left Emmerdale for Jo's sake'

Roxanne Pallett has revealed she chose to leave Emmerdale partly for the sake of her character, battered wife Jo Sugden.

The actress, who left the village and her husband Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) behind last December, said she wanted to set an example to other women suffering at the hands of abusive partners.

Roxanne said: "It was me that said I need to go and leave, and not just for my own sake as an actress before I start becoming repetitive - I needed to leave for the character's sake, for the storyline."

She continued: "Women across the country were waiting to see what happens to Jo because it was almost like it was their own dialogue as well.

"If she had stayed, what kind of story would that be telling? The ending had to be that she left him, to set a positive example."

Roxanne said she misses her time on the soap, where she spent three years of her life, but enjoys not knowing what's around the corner.

She said: "I don't like routine and everything being mapped out. It's as exciting as it is daunting not knowing what my next move will be."

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