Emmerdale’s Michelle Hardwick revealed that she and her wife are grieving the loss of a beloved family member.

First joining the Dales in 2012, Michelle portrays the feisty village vet Vanessa Woodfield, who was first introduced as the long-lost half-sister of Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh).

Since then, Vanessa’s made her mark on the village with storylines such as her terrifying kidnap ordeal at the hands of Pierce Harris, her shock pregnancy with Kirin Kotcha’s baby, and a rollercoaster romance with Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins)  – which won the hearts of Emmerdale fans everywhere.

Recently, Michelle’s character has found herself at the centre of Dales Drama yet again when her old flame Charity confided a shocking secret – the surrogate baby she’s carrying for Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) may not actually be hers.

There’s a chance it could be the child of Charity’s husband, Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), or the result of a one-night stand with village badboy Ross Barton (Michael Parr).

Although she did her best to keep the secret, Vanessa was appalled by Charity’s web of lies and ended up confessing her suspicions to Mack after getting drunk at Sarah and Jacob Gallagher’s (Joe-Warren Plant) wedding.

Outside Soapland, Michelle is married to former Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks, whom she met during the TV executive’s time in the top job.

Kate swapped the Dales for the Cobbles in 2024 when she was appointed producer of Coronation Street. In 2019, the couple tied the knot in Memphis Tennesse, home of the King of Rock and Roll, posing outside the chapel dressed in white with a style that would have made Elvis proud.

The pair have two children, a son, Edward “Teddy” Peter Brooks, born in 2020, and a daughter, Betty Brooks, born in November 2022.

Sadly, on Tuesday (January 6), Michelle revealed that their family has been hit with heartbreak following the death of their four-legged family member. Taking to Instagram, Michelle shared a photo of her gorgeous puppy, Fred, and confirmed some tragic news.

She wrote: “Our hearts are truly broken tonight, our house is not the same. Our Fred, our protector, he lost his fight this morning. We had 7 years of this incredible little guy, he was such a warrior.’

“No more suffering now, run free our beautiful Fred, you’ll be missed more than you’ll ever know, but we’ll talk about you every single day. We love you so so much.”

Michelle’s comment section was flooded with love and support from co-stars and fans alike.

Her on-screen sister, Amy Walsh, wrote: ‘Awwww babe, I’m so sorry!!! Sending you so much love. Little Fred.’ Coronation Street star Tina O’Brien, who portrays Sarah Platt, also said: ‘I’m so sorry to hear this. Sending you all my love.’

Fellow Emmerdale star, Natalie Ann Jamieson, who played Amy Wyatt, commented: ‘Ohh, I’m so sorry guys, sending lots of love.’