Emmerdale’s Natalie Ann Jamieson reveals emotional goodbyes with cast as Amy dies in tragic ending
Emmerdale fans have been left absolutely crushed as the soap has now confirmed the death of beloved character Amy Wyatt.
Actress Natalie Ann Jamieson has left her role after six dramatic years following Amy’s plunge into the icy depths of the lake.
Despite doctors’ efforts to save her, Amy eventually succumbed to her hypothermia and suffered a cardiac arrest, leaving Kerry (Laura Norton) and Matty (Ash Palmisciano) distraught.
Having filmed her final scenes in January, Natalie joined Metro for a chat, where she told me all about training for the underwater stunt, shedding tears as Amy died, her ideal roles and what she has nabbed from set.
How long did you know this was going to happen and what was your initial reaction to Amy’s fate?
I’ve known for a long time, since last summer-ish. I’ve known for a long time this was coming up – I think August I found out. I actually started filming some of that stuff in November. So we’ve even been filming it for quite a long time.
Obviously it’s just airing now but my very last day at work was the 7th January. With all these huge episodes, it’s a different scale filming, all the underwater stuff and that kind of thing.
It’s been a long time knowing about it and even filming it feels like ages ago. I feel like I’ve been keeping a very big secret for a long time. It’s been fun!
Was that hard? Were you tempted to let it slip or are you good at keeping that?
I’m quite good at keeping secrets. Even when I got the job originally I didn’t really tell anybody. I warned my mam, and that’s kind of what I did on the way in as well.
I said to my mam, ‘it’s probably best you don’t watch these,’ but I don’t think she’s taken my advice. I warned a couple of people that it would be quite shocking for, but other than that, I haven’t told a soul.
Are you ok with being killed off? Some people quite like that final ending but some would prefer to have the opportunity to go back – where do you stand?
Well that’s the thing, it’s a tough one because if you do the going in the back of a cab thing the door is potentially open for a return. However, you just don’t get the exit that perhaps the character deserves really. Amy is a huge character in that village, so for her to just disappear wouldn’t feel quite right, I don’t think.
From a Natalie point of view, it would be lovely to go back to Emmerdale one day because I love the people there and it’s a good place to work and stuff like that. I think for the point of view of the character, this was definitely the right way. You couldn’t ask for a better exit.
She’d had a cliffhanger every night of the week since Friday and it’s heart-in-your-mouth stuff, and it’s what soap does best, isn’t it? If you’re going to go out of a soap, I think this is the way you want to go.
Did you do much of the underwater filming yourself?
Pretty much all of it, yeah! It was amazing and quite scary. It was cold! I think what I was scared of is that I haven’t previously done any underwater stuff. Essentially, I had to do a very quick Padi course – I got half a day in the swimming pool.
I put my costume on – and that’s the thing, you’re in your costume, so you’ve got your shoes on, your leather jacket, Doc Martens – and it’s just a different experience any way to your normal kind of diving. So yeah, I just had to learn how to swim down three metres in my clothes.
But I had never even done equalising pressure and that kind of thing you have to do underwater when you start diving. I just had to learn all that really, really quickly, and then the next time I got in, we were filming, and I was like, wow. It was quite special.
How was that? Did you enjoy it or were you scared?
Afterwards, I wasn’t desperate to do diving. I think because I was in the swimming pool and I felt safe, there were a lot of people around me and actually I was just mostly focusing on the shots I was doing. And also I had to act as Amy, and Amy was scared.
So even if Natalie was scared, it wouldn’t have mattered! But she was scared because she was under the water. I was kind of focusing more on the story I was telling rather than the actual situation I was in, if I’m honest. People were like, ‘do you love it now? Have you got the bug? You want to go diving?’ and I was like, I don’t think I do, no.
After that, you were in hospital with people hugging you and crying – what was that like? Was that sad for you?
So difficult! Honestly, I was supposed to be dead for two scenes in that episode where I had Laura as Kerry, and Ash as Matty, Amy’s mam and husband, saying goodbye to her and I was a mess!
All my job was at that point – and it should have been the easiest part – was to stay still. It was so hard. We kept having to stop because you could definitely tell there was a tear rolling down my cheek.
Have you watched those episodes back and was that equally emotional?
I haven’t seen that one yet – you’re ahead of me! I’m watching them live in the evenings actually. There’s one on ITV Player I could watch now, but I know what happens! Watching the ones I have so far, it has been quite emotional watching them.
Not even from Amy’s point of view, but just the other characters that are in there and stuff as well. A very, very talented cast and crew. It’s hard not watch those episodes and not be blown away by everybody, isn’t it?
My boyfriend at last night’s one, which was where they all got taken away in the ambulances, he was sobbing like a baby. So I might have to protect him from last night!
You’ve made a lot of friends on the show, are you going to keep in touch with everyone now you’ve left?
Ah 100%. Even on Monday for the first episode, me, Johnny and Liv went and watched it. We actually got it put on in the pub! We had a little private screening in the pub near Jonny McPherson. So we all went and watched the first one together. I see those guys all the time – we live in the same area. I’m actually looking after Jonny’s dog as we speak. I’ll have to see him to give him his dog back at least!
Ash (Palmisciano) is just around the corner, Amy Walsh – she and Bonnie threw me a little birthday party last week. So yeah, I’ll see those guys all the time. I’ve been so lucky, I’ve made some of the best friends and I’m pretty sure we’re going to be friends for life just through that job, so no grumbles from me.
Are you going to watch and see how much they grieve for you and see what the aftermath is?
Yeah I’m going to text them and say, ‘those tears better be real!’
Did you mark leaving in any way? Did you take anything of Amy’s?
I have a few bits of Amy’s. I’ve got Amy’s top on now. This is iconic Amy. It looks like it’s been made from the rug on the back of this sofa, doesn’t it? I was like, I’ve got to have that. I’ve got the Doc Martens, also classic Amy. You know the ring from the picture where everyone was guessing whose hand it was? I got given that in my leaving present with lots of other things.
I got the script from my first-ever episode that everyone signed and wrote little messages for me. Ash wrote me a whole book full of photos with all of my time from Emmerdale. And I’ve got a beautiful bracelet that Liv (Bromley) got engraved ‘Love the village’ on it. I got a good haul!
Over the years, you’ve had some big stories and made many memories – do you have any highlights?
These recent episodes are definitely a highlight. This has been incredible, so for sure all of this stuff. The wedding – I absolutely loved Amy and Matty’s wedding, helping them design what Amy was wearing and stuff like that. That was so good.
Amy’s entrance in Belfast – so good. And that went straight into International Women’s Day ep. I felt really lucky to do both of them in a row. And then the factory fire, that was huge.
We filmed in exactly the same place as where we did the lake stuff. All the big things happen there, which is really cool. I’ve always loved working with Huey (Quinn) and all of that storyline where he shot Al, that always sticks out to me as the best one.
There was just something about working with Huey on that. He was so good! He started off as a little boy when I got there and then all of a sudden, he had his own storyline and he was so good. I was just so proud of Huey.
How have fans reacted to you over that time?
Loads of love from the fans. Amy’s a really popular character actually. A lot of people love Amy, so I’ve been really lucky to have played a character that people have got a lot of love for. I’ve been getting a lot of messages going, ‘tell me you’re not dying!’ which obviously I’ve not been able to say yes or no to.
Being a part of Emmerdale, they have some of the best fans and I don’t think anybody would ever grumble as an Emmerdale actor when people come up to them in the street and say, ‘it’s Amy from Emmerdale!’.
Mostly people love Amy and that makes me happy because people see my face and think of Amy.
They will be gutted soon! I imagine you will get a lot of messages – are you prepared for that?
I think it’s probably going to be a big reaction. I mean we’ve given them a cliffhanger pretty much every night where they don’t know if Amy’s going to make it through or not.
So I guess when they find out she doesn’t and we’ve kept them hanging for that long, it is going to be… I don’t even know what to reply actually. Someone might have to help me out with that. I might just have to say sorry!
Have you been able to take a break and chill since leaving or are you into auditions or got something planned?
A bit of both, yeah! I’ve been chilling, doing auditions, I’ve been getting up to lots of little bits and bobs. Nothing that I can report but I have had lots of time to rest and have a break as well though.
We went on holiday over Christmas but when I got back, that was when I had to go straight into work to do the last two days in the hospital. So I came back from Lanzarote, got into work and then I had all the hospital scenes. Like I say, I was an emotional wreck.
Little Huey when he comes and says ‘don’t die mam!’ Stop it! Just reading that scene I was bawling.
Do you have a bucket list of the kind of roles you would do in TV, film or theatre that you haven’t done?
Yeah, given everything we’ve just filmed, I would love to do a bit of comedy. I really enjoy comedy and we’ve obviously just done a lot of heavy stuff. Something comedy would be lovely and I love sitcom.
As you know, I have my big love for Ab Fab and that kind of stuff. Anything like that, and also I love anything that is going to come out of the North East and Newcastle.
Things up from that way always have a special place in my heart. So that would be the kind of thing that would be ideal to do next. But do you know what, I am just excited for anything because I am back in the big wide world.
I have been part of Emmerdale for six years so I haven’t worked on anything but Emmerdale for six years, which is quite mad really. Anything! I just hope that the people I work with are as nice as the people on Emmerdale. It’s hard to top.
How would you like people to remember Amy?
She’s the best. I would love people to remember her as a feisty Geordie who loved her family more than anything Kyle, and she was just a good little egg who everybody likes to have around. But you couldn’t cross her, could you?
My mam used to say to me when I was little, ‘you’ve got a mouth the size of the Tyne tunnel’ and I think that sums Amy up.
What message would you like to give to the fans?
Just thank you so much! Like I said, I have had the best reaction from the fans while I have been playing Amy and I get so many messages constantly.
I reply to a lot of people when I can, but even if I haven’t reply, know that I did read your message and everything means something to me. Just, you’re the best!
