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Emmerdale actress Emma Atkins hasn't been afraid of trying out different styles during her time on the ITV soap.

Lancashire-born actress Emma Atkins, 50, is best known for portraying the fiery, funny and brilliant Charity Dingle on the long-running ITV soap, Emmerdale. Emma was just 24 years old when she joined the soap, and her character has been at the centre of numerous major storylines over the years. Charity's been married multiple times, survived death on several occasions, got into some serious scraps, and, more recently, is carrying her grandchild, Sarah Sugden's (played by Katie Hill) unborn child, for her while hiding a huge lie. Here, we take a look back at Emma's dramatic transformation...

The actress, who was born in Morecambe, first joined the cast of Emmerdale in March 2000 as Charity Dingle, where she arrived at her cousin's funeral. Her sassy character had a dark past and was desperate to reconnect with the rest of the Dingle clan. Emma left the soap in 2005 but made her full-time return just four years later in October 2009. She's been a central character ever since.

During her first years on the ITV soap, Emma sported short gelled hair paired with striking black eye makeup and dark lipstick. She quickly became a fan favourite on the soap as her character brought a lot of drama and fun to the programme. The actress has previously described her character's sense of style as "a complete slapper" - a reference to the fact that she dresses very differently from Charity in real life.

She began to grow out her hair and opted for a warmer, honey-blond tone as the years passed. Who can forget her controversial to Tom King (Kenneth Farrington) on the ITV soap back in 2004 at the village church? The wedding fell to pieces when the news of Charity's affair with Emmerdale hardman Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) came to light in shocking scenes. Tom called off the wedding, and it rocked the Yorkshire Dales, causing a huge divide between the Kings and the Dingles.

Charity developed her signature long, blonde and wavy hairstyle during the era she was in a relationship with Cain. The cousins had a secret, incestuous relationship when they were teenagers, which resulted in the birth of their daughter Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb). They rekindled their questionable romance in the 2000s - but Charity ended up jilting the mechanic at the registry office as she was not ready to settle down.

While Charity hasn't completely abandoned some racy looks, she has come into her own in recent years and is known for her long locks, minimal makeup, business outfits and strong persona. Fans are always desperate for a Charity scene to unfold on the ITV soap, and we can't picture her leaving the programme anytime soon as she's just too good a character.

Emma Atkins looked stunning as she stepped out onto the red carpet at the British Soap Awards 2025 in May, which was held in Hackney Town Hall in London. The star's hair was styled in loose beach waves, with the curls perfectly framing her face. For her make-up, she opted for a bold red lip, which brought out her radiant complexion. Instead of wearing a gown, Emma chose a quirky striped blue shirt with a white collar.