‘Life won’t be the same’: Emmerdale’s Katie Hill hit with sad family loss

Katie Hill wearing a pink dress with her hair down in front of a white curtain at the British Soap Awards 2025
Katie Hill has shared some very sad news (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Emmerdale star Katie Hill has been hit with a tragic family loss, which she shared on social media.

The Sarah Sugden star took to Instagram to pay tribute to her beloved pet dog, Millie, who sadly passed away aged 16.

She shared several pictures from over the years, including some from her childhood, as well as a sweet video of Millie playing in a field of yellow flowers.

‘Our little millie moo,’ she wrote beside the carousel of pictures, ‘the best dog ever. 16 years of loving you, life won’t be the same without you. I’ll never forget all the beautiful memories we made.

‘Sleep tight little baby, we will miss you so much and love you forever.’

The actress was inundated with support from her Emmerdale co-stars, who reached out to share their love and condolences.

‘Awww Katie I’m so so sorry to read this. Sending love to you all,’ Vanessa Woodfield actress Michelle Hardwick wrote.

‘Sorry darling,’ Beth Cordingly, who plays Ruby Miligan, said, while Mandy Dingle star Lisa Riley added: ‘So much love.’

Katie’s character Sarah is currently in the middle of a big Emmerdale story, having taken custody of who she believes to be her biological daughter.

Sarah and husband Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) were keen to have a baby, and asked Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) to be their surrogate.

However, during the IVF treatment period, Charity slept with Ross Barton (Michael Parr) and fell pregnant herself.

Jacob Gallagher and Sarah Sugden cradling baby Leyla
Sarah Sugden and Jacob Gallagher have embraced life as parents (Picture: ITV)

She quickly made the decision not to tell Sarah and Jacob the truth about the baby, and they are currently living in ignorant bliss with their little bundle of joy.

Emmerdale actress Katie Hill is currently part of one of the soap’s biggest storylines, which is edging towards an explosive climax. Hill’s character Sarah Sugden is preparing to become a first-time mum with husband Jacob Gallagher, except there are some massive complications.

Sarah, who was previously treated for cervical cancer, is unable to carry a child, so her grandmother Charity Dingle stepped in to act as her surrogate.

However, Charity later found out that the baby she is carrying is not Sarah and Jacob’s, instead it is her and Ross Barton’s, who she had a one-night stand with last year.

 

charity, sarah, manpreet, emmerdale

Charity is not only having to keep the secret from Sarah and Jacob but also from her husband Mackenzie, who believes the baby is his.

Speaking to The Mirror Hillwho has played Sarah since 2017, shared that she initially believed the baby storyline might put her off being a mum but instead it’s had the opposite effect.

Hill explained: “I thought beforehand this was going to go one of two ways. It could have been a case of, ‘Oh no, I am not ready, I don’t want this now’.

“But in fact it’s gone the opposite way. I have always wanted to be a mum and this storyline has definitely made me even more broody. One hundred per cent, I have wanted to be a mum since I was five.

“I always used to love playing mums and dads in the playground. I used to fold up a cardigan to use as a fake baby, as we couldn’t have toys in our school playground.”

Hill added that she’s still only 23 and she acknowledges that having a baby now would be a huge life change for her and her boyfriend of six years.

 

charity, sarah, manpreet, emmerdale

“I need to live my youth a little bit longer. I can also hear my dad in my head going ‘I am not ready to be a grandad just yet,'” Hill added.

Speaking about the storyline Hill, who joined the soap when she was just 14, said: “As an actress, to be part of it all is incredible.”

sarah sugden and jacob gallagher's wedding in emmerdale