Profile from former Official Site

First Appearance on 20th June 2001

Louise always promised herself that once she reached her 30’s she would look to return to England and finally settle down here. Her opportunity came when she met a wealthy Leeds businessman on a long haul flight to Johannesburg. After a five-day fling, he invited her back to stay with him in Leeds. She left her job and moved in only to discover that life with him wasn’t much different to her hostessing days. After 9 months of mothering him she decided that she’d had enough. Louise walked in to a temping agency and recovered her independence. As soon as she saved up enough money she booked her flight back to Australia departing on 21st September 2001Louise decided that she would continue to temp until she was due to leave. It was temping that brought her to Emmerdale.

2001
Shortly after temping in the Woolpack Louise met Rodney. They continue to have a romance and he was always aware that Louise intended to return to Australia As a result they have tried to see their relationship as more of a ‘holiday romance’. However, once Louise’s departure date came they were forced to consider what it is they really want. Louise said goodbye to Rodney and all her new friends only to return the same day. She didn’t get on the flight back as she wanted to stay in Emmerdale. Rodney is pleased as punch and there relationship continues in much the same vein as before until her ex Alex turns up to rock the boat.

IMDB entry for: Emily Symons

Appeared: 20 June 2001 -

Thank You! The Following has been Written & provided by Eithne
© 2003

Character: Louise Appleton

Appeared: 20th June 2001 –

Family: Living in Australia

Age: Born 1968

Played by: Emily Symons

Biography:

Louise Appleton first appeared in mid 2001 as a temporary barmaid at the Woolpack while Bernice was in on holidays. But she was popular with both the customers and the bar staff (or most of them anyway). Louise’s reasons for temping were simple, she had once been an air hostess but had decided to settle in England after meeting a wealthy businessman on a long haul flight. But the relationship didn’t work out and Louise left him. She decided to return to Australia and did this by joining an agency, so she could buy a ticket home.

After the flight was booked Louise decided to continue temping and that is how she came to arrive in Emmerdale. Louise and Rodney Blackstock soon began a relationship, much to the annoyance of Rodney’s daughter Nicola, jealous of Louise taking all Rodney’s attention. Soon Louise faced a dilemma, to return home to Australia or to see what would happen between herself and Rodney. Louise decided to stay in the end.

Soon Alex, an ex of Louise’s entered the picture, but again she decided to stay in Emmerdale with Rodney. But Louise’s relationship with Rodney didn’t work, after she found out that he and ex-wife Diane had slept together after drinking too much alcohol. Louise soon started to notice how much she liked the then newest arrival to the village, Irish businessman Ray Mullen. Despite warnings from Terry, who secretly had a crush on Louise, she decided to continue dating Ray and rejected Terry.

Louise’s romance with Ray continued through 2002 and soon they were living together. Louise was a little upset when she found out that Ray hadn’t told her about his diabetes, but they still stayed together. In late 2002 Louise started receiving mystery gifts, such as expensive underwear. The person sending the gifts soon turned into a fully blown stalker and Louise started getting mystery text messages and phone calls, even though she changed her number. Before Christmas Ray, who had been supporting Louise all the way through her ordeal, asked Louise if she would consider leaving the country to get away from the stalker. At first Louise said no, but soon changed her mind. The plans were set for the couple to leave on Christmas Day.

On Christmas Day Louise and Ray started making their way to the airport, leaving Emmerdale behind. But Ray’s phone started to ring and Louise found out that Ray had two phones. Noticing that one of the phones had a voice message, Louise opened the voice message and realised that the message was the one she had left her stalker earlier on that day. Louise now knew that Ray was her stalker. She tried to be calm, but Ray started scaring her and told her that he had done it so that she would run to him and he could comfort her. Soon he was driving out of control and the car crashed. Louise woke up and, leaving Ray in the car, started running back to a deserted village.

Ray followed Louise and found her in their cottage. He started moving closer towards her and then started as he started walking up the stairs, Louise hit him with a vase, causing him to fall down the stairs. Ray was dead. Terry appeared and found Louise with Ray. Soon they came up with a plan to cover up Ray’s death, saying that someone had broken in. But Louise was soon finding the pressure too much and wondered if she should confess to killing Ray.

Louise didn’t confess and was happy when the coroner returned an open verdict over Ray’s death, after Charity Tate had given her an alibi.

After Ray’s death, Louise and Terry had grown closer. But he went away to Spain, and shocked everyone when he came back with Dawn Hope, Bob’s daughter, who Terry was now engaged to despite a large age gap.

After Terry returned from holiday engaged to Dawn Hope, Bob’s daughter,
Bob and Jean, his ex-wife, tried every thing to stop it. As the wedding day drew nearer, Dawn’s frantic parents, Bob and Jean, attempted to stop their daughter making a big mistake. Bob, although pretending to be coming around to the idea of his best friend marrying his daughter, secretly tried to persuade Louise to set a honey trap for Terry, to see if he still had feelings for her. It didn’t work however, as Louise told Terry about the plan.

Soon Louise was looking for love once again, and found it with Ronnie
Marsden, a married man.

In April 2003 Louise started to notice Ronnie Marsden’s interest in her. After a football tournament, they began an affair, despite the fact that Ronnie was married and had three children. Diane was anxious to know who Louise’s secret new boyfriend was, but Louise managed to keep Diane guessing for a while. When Diane did learn of Ronnie and Louise’s affair, she was shocked and tried to persuade Louise to end it. Louise lied to Diane, making her think the affair had finished. But Diane found Ronnie and Louise sharing a kiss in the cellars of the Woolpack. Soon Louise had confessed to Terry of her affair. But Ronnie’s wife, Frances, realised her husband had been having an affair after a mistake in his lies. She paid a visit to Louise, and revealed that she wasn’t Ronnie’s first affair. He had had many others before arriving in the village. Louise was shocked by this, and the affair finished.

On the rebound from Ronnie, Louise soon returned her attentions to newly married Terry, who was expecting a baby with Dawn. When Terry and Dawn went to Spain to consider whether or not to keep their baby, who
could be deaf or have a learning difficulty when born, Louise wanted to see how they were. Louise confessed her feelings for Terry to Diane. Diane was again shocked by Louise’s feelings towards another married man, but Louise still promised herself that she would tell Terry of her feelings. But when push came to shove, Louise couldn’t do it as she saw how happy he and Dawn were.

Diane tried to stop Louise from telling Terry, and Louise started to confess the special bond she and Terry had, which left Diane shocked. Back at the Woolpack, Louise decided that she couldn’t keep her murderous secret any
longer and confessed everything to Diane. Diane was shocked and didn’t know what to say. She stormed out, Diane confronted Terry, who confirmed what Louise said. But Diane struggled with it all, and almost went to the police. After a night with Louise in the cells, following after hours trading at the Woolpack, Diane and Louise made up. Louise told Diane that she should tell Jack about Ray’s death. She did, and Jack agreed to keep the secret.

About Emily Symons: Emily has appeared in various Australian TV shows, but the role she is probably best known in is that of Marilyn Fisher in Home and Away, a role which she played from 1989–1992 and 1995–1999 and then returned to briefly in 2001, after joining Emmerdale.

[Emmerdale's Emily Symons, who plays Woolpack landlady Louise Appleton, recently performed as Rosemary Clooney on "Stars In Their Eyes" Celeb special (August 2003)].