Donna Windsor

Donna Windsor (also Windsor-Dingle) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She was originally played by Sophie Jeffery until 1997. Actress Verity Rushworth took over the role in 1998. She made her first appearance in the show on 31 August 1993. Donna departed on 30 January 2009. At the time of her departure, Donna was the third longest running character on Emmerdale. It was announced on 8 January 2014 that Rushworth had decided to reprise her role as Donna for five months. She returned on 19 March 2014 and it was revealed that Donna was terminally ill with lung cancer. Donna committed suicide on 14 August 2014, after throwing herself and Gary North (Fergus O'Donnell) from a multi-storey car park to her death, but made her final appearance the following day, on 15 August 2014. In December 2024 Donna appears in a flashback sequence to Ross after April is abducted and taken to the carpark where her mum died. This leads to Ross revealing to April that Donna took her own life.

Donna arrives in the village in August 1993 with her family from London. She finds the move unpleasant at first. On 30 December 1993, the Windsors visit Kim Tate's (Claire King) stables to see the horses and Donna wanders off. When a plane crashes into the village, she has to be rescued when the stables catch fire as a result of being struck by falling wreckage.

In 1994, while being given a ride on tractor by Michael Feldmann (Matthew Vaughan), the vehicle topples and Donna is left injured. Her mother, Viv, threatens to sue Michael's boss Joe Sugden (Frazer Hines). The following year, Woolpack bar manager Terry Woods (Billy Hartman) gets into trouble with his boss Alan Turner (Richard Thorp) after Donna gets drunk with her half siblings Scott and Kelly. One evening when her father Vic attempts to take a bb gun from Scott, Donna is shot in the head as a result but is only left with a scratch. When the knowledge of Viv's affair with Terry becomes common knowledge, Donna feels torn between her parents and she and Viv move into the pub with Terry but return when Vic and Viv reunite.

Donna is upset when Kelly runs away with her teacher Tom Bainbridge (Jeremy Turner-Welch) and more trouble comes when Andy Hopwood (Kelvin Fletcher) leads Donna astray and persuades her to bunk off school and go joyriding in Leeds with Robert Sugden (Christopher Smith) and himself. A feud between the Windsors and Sugdens ignites as a result. Donna and her school friend Chelsea Campbell (Elizabeth Ingram) begin bullying Andy at school, culminating in Robert, now Andy's adoptive brother, punching Donna in the face. Donna tries to blame Robert for the bullying but is unsuccessful. Chelsea is expelled and sent to a special needs school and Donna is warned if caught bullying again, she would suffer the same fate as Chelsea. When Vic is killed by Andy's father Billy (David Crellin), in a robbery at the post office on Christmas Day 1998, Donna is devastated and feels guilty as she had known Billy had been in the village and believes she could have prevented her father's death. Andy runs away from home in the aftermath and Donna enlists Kelly's help to track him down and convinces him to come home.

Donna begins a relationship with Marc Reynolds (Anthony Lewis) and subsequently loses her virginity. Viv catches Donna in bed with Marc and shortly afterwards, they split after Viv tells Marc's mother Angie (Freya Copeland) about them sleeping together. Later, Donna is upset to learn Marc is now seeing Eve Birch (Raine Davison). Donna, Marc and their friends are later involved in a hit and run accident in which leaves their headmistress, Jean Strickland dead. Marc is jailed for two years for causing death by dangerous driving while Donna is sentenced to community service.

When Viv remarries nearly three years after Vic's death, Donna has reservations about her new stepfather, Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) but soon warms to him and they become close. Donna is upset when Viv and Bob separate in 2003 and in a desperate cry for help, she takes an overdose which shocks Bob and Viv into reconciliation. Donna later begins a relationship with Robert (now Karl Davies), who believes it is just a casual fling but Donna feels more serious about it until Robert dumps her for Elaine Marsden (Samantha McCarthy). They reunite when the Marsdens leave the village but it does not last as Robert pursues Katie Addyman (Sammy Winward) behind Donna's back. Donna contracts chlamydia from with Robert, which causes him distress as he has the condition too. By this time, Robert and Katie are secretly seeing each other, despite her being engaged to Andy. When the affair is revealed, Donna feels deeply betrayed and ends her friendship with Katie. However they reconcile when Robert cheats on Katie with Sadie King (Patsy Kensit) and find a common enemy in Robert.

Donna forms an attraction to widower Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) but he is not interested in pursuing a relationship and she dates Danny Daggert (Cleveland Campbell) instead. However, The relationship does not last long and they both agree to a mutual break-up. Donna begins getting close to Marlon again and they begin a relationship. After a year together, Marlon proposes, much, to the surprise of Donna, who accepts. They plan their wedding but they are overshadowed when Viv insists they have a double wedding as she and Bob are remarrying. Prior to the wedding, Donna strikes up a close friendship with Max King (Charlie Kemp), whom she enjoys flirting with. When Max is killed in a car crash, caused by Robert, Donna is devastated and Marlon tries to help her through her grief. She keeps a recording of Max's voice on her phone which she regularly listens to. On the morning of the wedding, Donna confesses she has feelings for Max. After some soul-searching, Marlon decides to forgive Donna and they marry along with Viv and Bob.

Desperate to get their foot on the property ladder, the couple enter a competition to win the new show home on the King’s River development. They are successful and are delighted but shocked to discover they need a £10,000 deposit to clinch the prize. Viv, however, offers to help as she and Bob are desperate to have a baby and Viv asked Donna to be a surrogate mother and she would give them the deposit. A hesitant Donna agrees, knowing it is the only way she can get her own home, and eventually convinces Marlon. However, Marlon and Donna's house explodes on the day of the grand opening in July 2006 as a result of a gas leak. Three people are killed in the explosion and the body of murder victim Terence Turner (Nick Brimble) is discovered buried under the rubble at the site. Now homeless and discovering Viv was pregnant with twins, Donna returns her money, which she receives from Tom King (Ken Farrington) as compensation. Donna and Marlon face more problems when they are left looking after Marlon's cousin Lillith's (Amanda Hennessy) four children Luke, Matthew, Mark and Jon, following her arrest for armed robbery. Marlon decides the children should live with their paternal uncle as the current living arrangements are unsuitable. The children run away after being unhappy with their uncle and Social Services insist the children return to their uncle. After a failed escape attempt with the children, Donna and Marlon are arrested and the kids are put in foster care. They then make a formal application for guardianship but Lilith returns and the case against her collapses and she takes the children to Ireland with her.