Since the first episode aired more than 50 years ago in 1972, the Emmerdale cast have experienced plenty of dramatic moments on screen over the years.

But there have been more than a few dramatic off-screen moments too, with some cast members undergoing major beauty transformations.

Whether it’s Lisa Riley’s dramatic 12 stone weight loss, or Isabel Hodgins chopping off her long locks in favour of a dramatic pixie cut, the cast members have braved some jaw dropping looks over the years.

Here we take a look at the biggest transformations on the much-loved ITV soap…

Lisa Riley’s 12 stone weight loss

Lisa Riley credits her new active lifestyle with her successful weight loss

46 year old Lisa Riley first appeared on Emmerdale back in 1995, playing character Mandy Dingle. When she arrived on the soap she revealed she was her "heaviest weight", but it wasn’t until appearing on Strictly Come Dancing almost 20 years later that she made permanent changes to her lifestyle.

Lisa attributed her dramatic weight loss to being more active, revealing she’d started doing Zumba classes and yoga, and had been sober for almost a decade.

Lisa told Bella magazine that she didn’t believe in dieting, saying: “I’m not on a diet – diets don't work. It's been about awareness and lifestyle. I'm loads more active than I used to be.”

Isabel Hodgins’ daring pixie cut

Isabel chopped off her hair after getting fed up with how 'unruly' it was

Isabel Hodgins joined Emmerdale in 2006, where her character Victoria Sugden was known for her long, wavy hair. However in 2019, viewers were shocked when she went for a very dramatic hair transformation, chopping off all her hair in favour of a daring pixie cut.

During an appearance on Loose Women, Isabel revealed that she’d gone for the chop due to how thick and curly her hair was, calling it ‘unruly’ and saying she’d had enough of trying to maintain it.

Luckily Emmerdale bosses tied her dramatic change into the storyline. Since then Isabel has regrown her hair, and has been rocking a mid-length bob that suits her natural waves.

Jenna Coleman's classy style overhaul

Jenna ditched the fake tan for a full style overhaul

Jenna Coleman may have left the soap back in 2006, but her style transformation over the last decade has left her practically unrecognisable.

During her time playing Jasmine Thomas in the soap, Jenna was particularly fond of the ultra-thin eyebrows and heavy fake tan that was popular in the mid-00s.

Thankfully her style has evolved since then, and now Jenna, rocking a short blonde bob, can often be seen wearing street style-worthy outfits from patent leather trench coats to classic Chanel handbags.

Charley Webb's hair transformation

Charley braved a chop and a colour transformation after leaving the soap

Another Dingle to undergo a major makeover is Charley Webb, the actress behind Debbie Dingle. Charley often had long golden blonde hair during her almost 20 year span on Emmerdale, but since leaving the soap in 2021 she’s had quite the style upgrade.

The actress recently showed off her brand new hair transformation, revealing a short shoulder grazing bob with grown out dark roots that lightened up towards the ends of her hair in a subtle ombre.

Charley had gone for the chop before attending London Fashion Week in February, and shared her new style on her Instagram .

Laura Norton's three stone weight loss

Laura lost three stone simply by cutting Coca-Cola out of her diet

Fans couldn’t help but notice current Emmerdale star Laura Norton has lost weight during her time playing Kerry Wyatt in the soap. Kerry first decided to lose weight in 2015, however, it wasn’t a dramatic lifestyle overhaul that helped Kerry shed the weight.

She revealed to The Mirror in 2018 that she’d made one small change to her diet, and cut out drinking Coca-Cola.

She said that just removing the fizzy drink from her diet made a huge difference, and she started noticing the weight loss not long after removing it from her diet.

Gemma Oaten’s honey blonde hair colour

Gemma ditched her brunette locks in favour of a much warmer blonde shade

Gemma Oaten underwent a major hair makeover after leaving the soap in 2015. During her time on Emmerdale, Gemma, who played Rachel Breckle, had long, chestnut brown hair. After leaving the soap, Gemma ditched her dark brown locks and instead opted for a warmer honey blonde colour.

Since then that actress and philanthropist has experimented with a range of different blonde shades, including an ashy violet colour that she debuted last year. Currently, Gemma has been sporting a mid-length cut in a much warmer blonde tone with subtle shadow root that suits her warmer complexion.

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By Editor