Sally Walsh was actually the first Walsh sister to appear on screen (Image: itv)Emmerdale spoilers, news and interviews sent straight to your inbox for freeMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Emmerdale spoilers, news and interviews sent straight to your inbox for freeInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeEastEnders viewers were stunned when they spotted Sally Walsh, who portrayed Lyn Hutchinson in the ITV soap Emmerdale, playing a character in Albert Square. Sally had a role in Emmerdale from January 1997 to February 2000 where she started off as a school bully who tormented Emma Cairns (played by Rebecca Loudonsack) over her pregnancy before she began dating village chef Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock). But it seems viewers had forgotten Sally played Chrissie Watts’ (Tracy-Ann Oberman) cellmate Gail in several episodes of EastEnders back in 2005. One eagle-eyed fan who’d been watching classic reruns of the soap posted on Reddit: “Believe it or not, it’s Sally Walsh (who played Chrissie Watts’ cell mate Gail) for only 3 episodes on Classic EE. I only found this out while reading a Twitter comment on #ClassicEastEnders page. You might recognise the surname Walsh as she is the third younger sister of Kimberly Walsh who is part of Girls Aloud. She also has another sister Amy. Amazing what you learn.”
A young Sally Walsh played a cellmate on EastEnders in 2005
(Image: reddit/r/eastenders/lnwildeagle85)
Sally’s character Gail shared a cell with Chrissie Watts
(Image: reddit/r/eastenders/lnwildeagle85)
Others were quick to comment, with one person saying: “They all look so much alike” and another adding: “She played Lynn on Emmerdale in the late 90s”. Since leaving the soap, Sally’s real-life sister Amy Walsh has landed a role on Emmerdale as Tracy Metcalfe who has been part of some major storylines since joining in 2014, including one where she was cheating on her husband Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter) with his uncle, Caleb Milligan (Will Ash). Sally’s other sister, Kimberly Walsh became a member of Girls Aloud after appearing on the reality TV show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. The group, which is made up of Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle reunited earlier this year for a UK tour which paid tribute to late member Sarah Harding who died in 2021 from cancer.
The three Walsh sisters looking pretty in florals on the red carpet
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Dorothy Perkins – Boohoo Group)
Kimberly is now a popular host on BBC One’s Morning Live which airs after BBC Breakfast on weekdays. Longtime EastEnders fans will remember fiery Chrissie was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her husband ‘Dirty’ Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) that December after she killed him in the Queen Vic. Her first appearance in Albert Square was in 2014 when her relationship with Den turned sour due to his adultery and deceit. Chrissie made her return to the soap last month after 19 years away from the fictional town of Walford, much to the delight of loyal viewers.
Sally used to star in Emmerdale and has been in EastEnders and Corrie
(Image: amyvwalsh/instagram)
Within an episode which saw Den’s daughter Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) go to jail for contempt of court after hitting out at a judge during rapist Dean Wick’s (Matt Di Angelo) trial, fans discovered Chrissie was in the same prison. It’s safe to say Chrissie and her former stepdaughter do not see eye-to-eye as murdering Chrissie told Sharon she’d been “so close” to escaping from the police in 2005 until she stopped her. Sign up to OK!’s daily newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
Chrissie Watts shared a cell with Sally’s character Gail
(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
There was no sign of Sally’s character Gail in those EastEnders scenes, and the actress has more recently appeared on rival soap Coronation Street. Sally appeared as a nurse in Corrie in 2012 when Sian Powers (Sacha Parkinson) was rushed to A&E with appendicitis before she returned in 2019 as a midwife who looked after Sinead Tinker (Katie McGlynn) when she had to have an induced birth of her premature baby. Her most recent role was on the BBC drama Doctors, with the actress sharing a clip from the show on Twitter in April and writing: “Fourth and last time on @BBCDoctors. Always such a lovely show to work on.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnEastEndersCoronation StreetEmmerdaleGirls Aloud
