Who was Liv Flaherty in Emmerdale?

The beauty of soap is that we get to follow characters over whole lifetimes – from birth to death and beyond – and every so often we get to relive memories along with our favourite characters.

In tonight’s (Friday, August 21) Emmerdale, we were treated to one of these moments, as Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) told Kev Barton (Chris Coghill) about his late wife, Liv Flaherty.

While on a walk, Kev caught up with Vinny, who explained that he sometimes liked to visit the spot where he spread her ashes and talk to her about things.

It has been almost four years since Liv was killed off during the ITV soap’s 50th anniversary episodes, and a lot has happened since then.

So, if you have no idea who she is, want to brush up on your Emmerdale knowledge, or simply fancy a trip down memory lane, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know about Liv.

Who was Liv Flaherty in Emmerdale?

Liv Flaherty was played by Isobel Steele, and was first introduced in 2016 as Aaron Dingle’s (Danny Miller) troublemaking teenage half-sister.

It was a dark time for both of them, as their dad Gordon Livesy was set to face trial for sexually abusing Aaron as a child.

Understandably, Liv found it difficult to accept the accusations against her dad at first, but she ultimately took Aaron’s side while testifying in court.

She later moved in with Aaron and Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) and became a regular face in the village for the next few years.

During her tenure, she had some major storylines, including coming out as asexual and dealing with alcoholism.

In 2022, she married Vinny, but their happiness was short-lived as Liv tragically died just months later.

How did Liv die?

In October 2022, a major storm hit the Emmerdale village, causing carnage at putting lives at risk.

In a devastating twist, a gust of wind sent a caravan hurtling down Main Street, where it hit Liv and pinned her against the shop.

When paramedics arrived, they revealed that there was nothing they could do to save Liv, as freeing her legs would result in her death.

In heartbreaking scenes, she said a final goodbye to Aaron and Vinny before dying.

What happened to Liv’s ashes?

In tonight’s episode, Vinny mentioned that most of Liv’s ashes ended up on his face. When Vinny, Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and some of their friends and family gathered to spread Liv’s ashes in November 2022, he found himself too emotional to deliver his speech.

Vinny got frustrated as he pointed out that Liv wouldn’t want it to be like this, but the situation quickly took a turn when his dog, Chip, jumped up at the table.

Though Mandy tried to rescue the urn, she ended up tipping the ashes all over Vinny as they fell backwards.

There was a moment of silence as everyone watched in horror, until Vinny began to laugh, announcing that this was the perfect send off for Liv.

What is actress Isobel Steele doing now?

Since leaving the soap, actress Isobel has turned her attention to music, writing and performing under the artist name Little Dog Star.

She recently released an EP called Something Infinite and is heading out on tour next month to perform sold-out shows in Manchester and London.