Emmerdale‘s Debbie Dingle has been played by Charley Webb across multiple stints between 2002 and 2021, but things could have turned out quite differently.
Dani Harmer, the iconic lead star of The Story of Tracy Beaker and its many sequels, revealed that she auditioned for the role.
In a TikTok, Harmer spoke about the parts she went for across her career, and revealed that before being cast as Dumping Ground troublemaker Tracy, she got close to nabbing the role of Debbie.
Calling the thought of herself in Emmerdale “weird”, Harmer, who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, said: “I got quite far for that one too, but didn’t get it, probably because I wasn’t Northern.
“I don’t think I was ever right for that, but what could have been. But definitely weren’t right for that one.”
ITV
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She also revealed that she got down to the final two for one of the leads in other kids’ classic My Parents Are Aliens, and was “gutted” not to get it, but ended up landing Tracy Beaker a year later.
A few years after, she had about a “three second” audition for the role of best friend Lilly in Hannah Montana, as producers briefly considered casting a UK actor alongside Miley Cyrus. In the end, they went for American star Emily Osment, who was already involved with Disney.
Matt Squire//BBC
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“What could have been, eh,” Harmer said. “If I’d landed any of those roles other than Tracy Beaker, could have been in Emmerdale, could have worked with Miley Cyrus.”
“Everything happens for a reason,” she concluded.
On the subject of Debbie Dingle. The character was mentioned in an episode of Emmerdale this week, as Sarah Sugden had some bad news to share.
However, before Sarah could get a word in, Debbie shocked her daughter by revealing she’d emigrated to Australia!
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
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