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Kelly Windsor
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Kelly Windsor
Emmerdale character
Portrayed byAdele Silva
Duration1993–2000, 2005–2007, 2011
First appearance10 August 1993
Last appearance27 May 2011
ClassificationFormer; regular
Introduced byNicholas Prosser (1993)
Kathleen Beedles (2005)
Gavin Blyth (2011)
In-universe information
Other namesKelly Glover (married name)
OccupationModel
FatherVic Windsor
MotherAnne Windsor
Adoptive motherViv Hope
StepfatherBob Hope
Half-brothersScott Windsor (adoptive)
Half-sistersDonna Windsor
HusbandRoy Glover (1999–2000)
SonsElliot Windsor
NiecesApril Windsor
Jean Tate (adoptive)

Kelly Windsor (also Glover) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Adele Silva. The character first appeared on 10 August 1993. Silva portrayed her from August 1993 until November 2000. In February 2005, it was announced that Silva would be reprising her role and she returned in June 2005. Silva left the soap once again in October 2007, and in November 2010, it was announced that Silva would be returning to Emmerdale in February 2011. Silva reprised the role for a period of three months and left again in May 2011.

Storylines

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Backstory

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Kelly is the daughter of Vic (Alun Lewis) and Anne Windsor. Kelly, for a long time, didn't know that Anne had died after catching Vic in bed with Viv Hope (Deena Payne) . Horrified, she ran outside and was hit by a car as she was too upset to look where she was going. As Kelly did not know this, she loves Viv like a mother. Kelly gained a stepbrother, Scott Windsor (Toby Cockerell), Viv's son from her first marriage, and a half-sister, Donna (Sophie Jeffery), from Vic and Viv's marriage.

1993–2000

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Kelly moves in the village with her father Vic, mother Viv, stepbrother Scott and half-sister, Donna.

Kelly's first boyfriend is local teenager, Roy Glover (Nicky Evans). They date briefly but soon split up. Kelly's next relationship is with her teacher, Tom Bainbridge (Jeremy Turner-Welch). When their affair is exposed, Kelly denies it but no one believes them and Tom loses his job. The couple decide to run away together but Kelly returns a few months later, telling Viv that she left Tom after finding him in bed with another pupil.

Having been betrayed, she stops trusting men and behaves promiscuously. She toys with Roy's affections, has a one-night stand with Biff Fowler (Stuart Wade) and a brief fling with Will Cairns (Paul Fox). Discovering she is pregnant by Biff, Kelly tells Chris Tate (Peter Amory) that he is the father, hoping he would pay for an abortion. Due to the side-effects of his disability, he is scared about the possibility of not being able to have children and asks Kelly to keep the baby. Kelly secretly plans an abortion but miscarries after a fight with Kim Tate (Claire King) leads her to fall down a flight of stairs. She threatens to press charges but eventually accepts £1,000 from Steve Marchant (Paul Opacic) as compensation.

Kelly realises that she has romantic feelings for her stepbrother Scott. After sleeping together, Kelly returns to Roy and they get engaged. Whilst planning their wedding, Kelly continues to see Scott but refuses to leave Roy so Scott exposes their affair but Kelly denies it. After they get married, Kelly and Roy have financial problems and become cleaners. When Kelly "borrows" jewellery from a client, Miss Curtis, and stages a dinner party at her house, the police are called. Wanting to protect Kelly, Roy accepts responsibility and is imprisoned. Whilst he is away, Kelly sleeps with Scott again after meeting him at a hotel and they admit their love for each other, sending Kelly into a deep depression. After writing letters to her family and admitting to the affair on tape, Kelly attempts suicide. She is saved but loses the baby she was carrying, unsure if the father was Scott or Roy. Scott burns the letters but Kelly confesses to Roy and decides to start a new life in London, bankrolled by Chris Tate. Although she and Roy have a brief reconciliation, they are unable to make their marriage work and he leaves for Ibiza without her. Feeling rejected again, Kelly tries seducing Viv's new fiancé, Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw), but he tells Viv and this leads to a vicious fight between Viv and Kelly, also revealing Scott and Kelly's affair. With no friends or family willing to talk to her, Kelly leaves for London, with Donna and Scott seeing her off.

2005–2007

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Kelly returns five years later and it is clear that she has not changed. Throwing herself back into village life, she makes enemies of Zoe Tate (Leah Bracknell) and Dawn Woods (Julia Mallam) – both ex-girlfriends of Scott. She causes trouble for Dawn when she flirts with Scott, gets him drunk and drags him into her bed, secretly phoning Dawn and she hears them talking. Donna catches them in bed together the next day and Kelly implies that they have slept together but admits they didn't when Donna threatens to tell Viv. When Dawn finds out that Kelly lied, she tracks her down and they fight outside the Woolpack, ending with Kelly being soaked by a hosepipe.

Bored of working in the cafe, Kelly targets the rich men in the village and seduces curate, Ethan Blake, but they are caught by Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) in the church. She then seduces Jimmy King (Nick Miles) and they have a brief fling but he ends their relationship when his ex-wife Sadie (Patsy Kensit), reveals Kelly's career as a glamour model. Kelly moves on to Rodney Blackstock (Patrick Mower) despite a thirty-one year age gap. Kelly develops feelings for Rodney and is delighted when he buys Holdgate Farm for her and his son, Paul Lambert (Mathew Bose), planning to turn it into a spa but Rodney runs out of money and the spa is abandoned. Despite promising to stand by Rodney, she turns her attentions back to Scott. When caught by Rodney and Scott's current girlfriend, Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb), they split up. Kelly spends months feeling sorry for herself and takes her frustration out on her family.

Claiming to be seeking revenge for Dawn's death, Kelly targets her former lover, Jimmy, despite never liking Dawn when she was alive. Kelly soon falls in love with Jimmy, admitting that she genuinely wants to be with him and does not blame him for Dawn's death, unlike Dawn's parents, Bob and Jean. Soon after, Kelly is offered a lucrative modelling contract but also discovers that she is pregnant, eventually deciding to have an abortion. Jimmy's half-sister, Scarlett Nicholls (Kelsey-Beth Crossley), goes with her to the clinic and seeing her reluctance to go in, suggests she keep the baby but Kelly goes ahead as her agent insisted she choose: her baby or her career. Her abortion is not a secret for long as, discovering an abortion leaflet, Scarlett's mother, Carrie, demands answers from Scarlett. She tells Carrie about Kelly's abortion and Carrie threatens to tell Jimmy but agrees not to, on condition that she stays away from Scarlett.

Kelly argues with Carrie again when she realises Carrie has feelings for Jimmy. Worried about what Carrie might do, she confronts her and they argue. Kelly loses her temper and slaps Carrie and Carrie calls the police and presses charges against Kelly for assault. The police question Kelly but she denies it and Jimmy claims Kelly acted in self-defence. She later apologizes but Carrie demands that Kelly stay away from her and Scarlett, warning her that she will tell Jimmy about her abortion if she ever crossed her again. Kelly, however, warns Carrie that if she tells Jimmy, she will tell Scarlett that Carrie is Lexi Nicholls's (Sally Oliver) mother, not her sister. At this point, only Carrie, Kelly, Lexi and Jimmy know that Carrie is Lexi's birth mother.

Debbie Dingle blackmails Kelly after she kisses Debbie's relative Eli Dingle (Joe Gilgun) as she has photographs of them. In light of her deception, Kelly does not know if she can go through with marrying Jimmy and is jealous about the amount of time he is spending with Carrie, much to Carrie's delight. Initially the wedding goes well, however Debbie reveals the truth to Scarlett about Kelly kissing Eli. Jimmy forgives Kelly for her drunken kiss with Eli but jilts her at the altar when Eli tells him about the abortion. Viv disowns Kelly again and Jimmy is too angry to speak to her. Kelly steals some money. Despite Donna and Paul's efforts to reunite them, Jimmy claims that Kelly has broken his heart and he can never be with her again. Heartbroken, Kelly steals Debbie's car, a gift given to her by Eli, and leaves Emmerdale again.

2011

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Four years later, Jimmy meets Kelly in Peterborough after she contacts him and asks him for money. She also suggests they reconcile but Jimmy's anger and resentment at Kelly's abortion boil over into an argument. As Jimmy is about to leave Kelly jumps into the cab of his van and refuses to leave. Jimmy tries to eject her and fearing Jimmy was going to attack her, Kelly lashes out, grabbing a torch from the dashboard and hitting him over the head, knocking him unconscious. Thinking that she has killed him, Kelly panics and flees the scene.

Kelly arrives in the village on 16 March to apologize to Jimmy for attacking him. When she realises that he has amnesia and does not remember who she is or what happened to him, Kelly takes advantage of Jimmy's memory loss by telling him that she was once the love of his life. Jimmy is intrigued and later telephones Kelly and arranges to meet her, believing that she is the key to getting his memory back. Jimmy's brother Carl (Tom Lister) finds out and goes to the café where she is supposed to be meeting Jimmy. Carl warns Kelly to stay away from Jimmy but she refuses and tells Carl that she would only leave if Jimmy told her too. Kelly leaves her mobile in the cafe and Carl goes to the hotel where she is staying to return it to her. Carl threatens Kelly and again repeats his demand to stay away from Jimmy but she refuses again and orders Carl to leave.

Kelly returns to the village at the end of the week and visits Bob. Kelly asks Bob if she can stay with him and he agrees and she tells him that she would have somebody with her. The following week Kelly moves into Bob's house and introduces Bob and his housemate Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) to her son Elliott.

Jimmy's wife Nicola (Nicola Wheeler), Rodney's daughter, whom Jimmy had married during Kelly's absence, is shocked when she sees Kelly in the village. Kelly introduces Rodney and Nicola to Elliot. Kelly then explains to Jimmy that Elliot is his son and she shows Jimmy and Carl a paternity test to prove her claims. Nicola visits Kelly and demands to know why she has returned but Kelly claims that she had returned to the village as a result of Viv's death in a fire the previous January, and that she wanted to spend time with Bob and his and Viv's twins.

Jimmy begs Kelly to keep it a secret that Elliot is his son in order to not cause trouble with Nicola and she agrees to do so. Kelly goes for a drink with Rodney in The Woolpack in order for them to catch up with each other and she tells him of her life since leaving the village and Rodney works out that Elliot is Jimmy's son. Rodney then informs Nicola of his discovery and she demands to know if he had been having an affair with Kelly. When Kelly intervenes, Nicola loses her temper and attacks her and has to be pulled away. Jimmy then escorts Kelly home.

Kelly then starts manipulating Jimmy and claims that they had been having an affair and that he had been going to leave Nicola for her before he lost his memory. Kelly also befriends Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw) who helps strengthen Kelly's claims by forging hotel receipts and faking a photograph of Kelly and Jimmy together in Peterborough. Kelly spends the following week trying to help Jimmy get his memories of her back and takes him to the spot where he had proposed to her four years earlier. Kelly tells Jimmy that she still loves him and wanted them to get back together but Jimmy tells her that he does not want to hurt Nicola and turn his back on their daughter Angelica. He offers to support Kelly financially in order to provide for Elliot's upbringing.

Whilst in the church, Jimmy regains some of his memory when he remembers his and Kelly's wedding day. He then visits Kelly and tells her that he remembered how he had felt about her and that he knew that he wanted to be with her. Jimmy and Kelly then have sex and this helps Jimmy regain some more of his memory. Jimmy has reservations about his decision, not wanting to hurt Nicola but Kelly tells him to tell her about their relationship and get a divorce. Jimmy then moves Kelly into Mill Cottage, much to Carl's discomfort, and they resume their relationship. As Jimmy continues to regain his memory, Carl warns Kelly that he would soon remember everything about her and what she was really like.

Whilst Jimmy and Kelly are having a play fight with a cushion, Kelly hits Jimmy over the head. Jimmy has a flashback and remembers that it was Kelly who had attacked him in Peterborough. Jimmy later tells Nicola that he remembers Kelly being there when he suffered the injuries which caused his memory loss and she urges him to call the police but he refuses for Elliot's sake. Kelly moves back into Bob's house and she later confesses to Eve that she had lied about her and Jimmy having an affair and Eve advises Kelly to tell Jimmy the truth. Jimmy later visits Kelly and demands that she tell him the truth. After claiming that she would never deliberately hurt him, Kelly finally confesses that she had attacked Jimmy and caused his memory loss. She begs Jimmy for forgiveness but he leaves in shock. Kelly later confides in Bob that she is scared of Jimmy hating her.

Kelly discovers that Jimmy is trying to win back Nicola. Kelly continues to cause problems for them by arranging for Jimmy to spend time with her and Elliot at a time when Nicola had arranged for him to see Angelica in the park. Jimmy buys Elliot some new clothes and Kelly then hugs Jimmy in gratitude. Nicola, who had just arrived at the park with Rodney and Angelica, witnesses this and storms off.

Jimmy offers to buy Kelly a house and support Elliot financially. He also tells her that he does not want her back as he had remembered how their previous relationship had ended and her abortion. Kelly later arrives unexpectedly at Mill Cottage with Elliot at a time when Jimmy is looking after Angelica. When Nicola arrives to pick Angelica up, she is furious to discover Kelly there. Kelly then lies to Nicola, claiming that Jimmy had told her that he would leave Nicola and would start a new life away with her, Elliot and Angelica. Nicola is outraged and attacks Kelly again leaving her with a bloody nose. Kelly then threatens to report Nicola to the police for assault. As Nicola had been on probation at the time, this meant that she would face a possible prison sentence.

In order to get Nicola out of trouble, Jimmy threatens to tell the police that Kelly had started the fight and Nicola had acted in self-defence. Jimmy also tells Kelly that he thought it would be best if she left the village. Kelly agrees and tells him that she and Elliot would be going as far away from Emmerdale as they could. Kelly gives Jimmy an ultimatum that either he left with her and Elliot or he would never see him again. Wanting Nicola back, Jimmy reluctantly bids a tearful goodbye to Elliot and resigns himself to the fact that he would never see his son again. Kelly then gets into her car and drives out of the village with Elliot.

Creation

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Kelly as she appeared in 1993.

Casting

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In 1993 series producer Nicholas Prosser introduced the Windsor family, Kelly Windsor was first introduced in August 1993, series producer Prosser cast Adele Silva for the role of Kelly. Among them were Viv (Deena Payne), Kelly's father Vic Windsor (Alun Lewis), Scott (Toby Cockerell), and Kelly's half-sister Donna (Sophie Jeffery).

Personality

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Kelly Windsor has been described wild child is a feisty young woman who is not afraid to speak her own mind. "I've got a quite a fierce temper and I won't be pushed around." she says. [...] "It doesn't take much to get Kelly angry but it’s all over very quickly. She’s just a passionate person. [...]."[1]

Development

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2000 exit and 2005 return

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In 2000 it was announced that Adele Silva had quit Emmerdale, her exit storyline involved Kelly trying to seduce Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw). After that Viv threw Kelly out of the family home she was then seen in a taxi heading for London.[2] In February 2005 it was announced that Adele Silva would be returning to Emmerdale, after a five-year break to reprise her role of Kelly.[3] Speaking of her return to Digital Spy [...] "I'm very excited and can't wait to start filming," Adele revealed, [..] "It will be interesting to see what Kelly has been up to in the past years, and I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends at Emmerdale. [...]. Silva couldn’t wait to go back to the show," Silva told The Sun. [...] I've done quite a lot since leaving but it was difficult at first because I was a bit typecast. "I look quite young and everyone thought of me as being Kelly the schoolgirl. I struggled to get away from the little girl image. I've grown up a lot, though, and I'm looking forward to going back and showing the cast and crew that I'm now a sexy woman. I'm hoping Kelly will be really badly behaved. It would be fun if she had a few flings, too. I want to really show them what I'm made of. It'll be great to catch up with the actors there too – I can't wait to see them again." [...].[4] When the show's producers approached Silva, she said she'd only come back if they would promise not to make her character nice," Silva told the Sunday Mirror Kelly is still nasty as ever Kelly’s return storyline saw her at the bedside of her stepbrother Scott (Ben Freeman) who had been injured by Zoe Tate (Leah Bracknell).[5]

2007 departure

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In June 2007 it was announced that Silva would be taken a 12-month break. Silva had been thinking about leaving for a while, to try out new things. Silva was also really looking forward to the future. An Emmerdale spokeswoman said: [...] "Adele will be taking a 12-month break at the end of the year to focus on other projects but will return to Emmerdale in 2008".[...].[6] Her exit storyline saw Kelly splitting up with Jimmy King (Nick Miles) after he found out that she had their unborn child aborted, in order to sign a modelling deal. Despite a return being confirmed for 2008, Silva did not return until 2011.

2011 return

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On 5 November 2010 it was announced that Adele Silva would be reprising the role of Kelly for a second time, after a three-year break at the beginning of 2011. Although later Silva confirmed she would be exiting Emmerdale once again to the conclusion of Jimmy's amnesia storyline. She made her final appearance on 27 May 2011. In November 2014, it was announced that Silva turned down the chance to return to Emmerdale for a guest stint. Silva decided not to return after discovering she was pregnant with her first child. Had she have returned, Kelly would be seen attending her half-sister, Donna Windsor's (Verity Rushworth) funeral.[7]

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Kelly Windsor is a fictional character from the British soap opera , portrayed by actress from 1993 to 2011. Introduced as a 13-year-old arriving in the village of Emmerdale with her father , stepmother Viv, stepbrother Scott, and half-sister Donna, she quickly became central to various dramatic narratives involving family conflicts, romances, and personal scandals. Throughout her time on the show, Kelly's storylines highlighted her as a complex, often rebellious figure known for her romantic entanglements and moral ambiguities. Early arcs included a brief teenage romance with Roy Glover, an elopement with her teacher Tom Bainbridge that ended in betrayal, and a with Tate's child that she miscarried following a confrontation with . She later married Roy but developed forbidden feelings for stepbrother Scott, leading to theft of jewelry that resulted in Roy's imprisonment. Kelly departed in 2000 but returned in 2005 for further turmoil, including seducing multiple villagers, an engagement to , an abortion, and being jilted at the altar. In her final 2011 arc, she reconciled with Jimmy, revealing they shared a son named , though she ultimately left the village after he recalled her past attack on him. Despite her exit, Kelly maintains ongoing family ties to Emmerdale through son Elliot, who has resided there since 2016, and niece April Windsor-Dingle. Her character remains iconic among fans, with actress expressing openness to a potential return as recently as 2022.

Creation

Casting

Kelly Windsor was introduced as a new character in the British Emmerdale in August 1993, under the oversight of series producer Nicholas Prosser, who was responsible for expanding the show's cast with the Windsor family during this period. , then aged 12, was cast as Kelly, drawing on her early acting background that began at age 8 with a foundation in theatre; she had trained at the and appeared in guest roles on series such as and prior to this opportunity. In an interview, Silva recalled reading the character's description in under a minute and initially disliking the feisty teenager she was to portray, noting that Kelly "couldn’t be any more from me," yet she secured the role to embody this bold personality. Silva's initial filming commenced shortly before the character's on-screen debut in episode 1789, which aired on 10 August 1993. She portrayed Kelly continuously under her first contract from 1993 until November 2000, appearing in hundreds of episodes during this seven-year stint.

Personality

Kelly Windsor was conceived as the daughter of Vic Windsor, arriving in Emmerdale in 1993 as part of the troubled Windsor family dynamic, emphasizing her feisty and manipulative tendencies from the outset. The character was envisioned as a "" characterized by a fierce temper, passionate nature, and rebellious streak, often unafraid to speak her mind or stand her ground in confrontations. This portrayal positioned her as an archetypal "bad girl" in Emmerdale's history, akin to previous soap vixens known for their scheming and disruptive presence in the village.

Storylines

Backstory

Kelly Windsor was born in 1980 as the daughter of and his first wife, Anne Windsor. Following Anne's death when Kelly was very young, Vic married in 1984, who became Kelly's and raised her alongside Vic. Through Viv's previous marriage, Kelly gained a stepbrother, , whom Vic adopted and who took the Windsor surname; Vic and Viv later had a daughter together, , making her Kelly's half-sister. The Windsor family, including Kelly, lived outside the village prior to 1993, with Vic working as a salesman supporting the household amid the blended family dynamics. In , the family relocated to Beckindale, where Kelly, then 13, began her life in the village.

1993–2000

Kelly Windsor arrived in the village of Beckindale in August alongside her father Vic, stepmother Viv, stepbrother Scott, and half-sister Donna, seeking a fresh start after family upheavals. As a teenager, she quickly exhibited rebellious tendencies, engaging in school troubles and early antics that highlighted her struggle to integrate into village life and her blended family dynamic. Kelly's initial romance was with local teenager Roy Glover, beginning as a brief youthful relationship in the mid-1990s. She later pursued a more serious involvement with her schoolteacher, Tom Bainbridge, leading to a scandalous affair in 1996 that was exposed in early 1997, resulting in his dismissal from the school. Heartbroken upon discovering Bainbridge's infidelity, Kelly turned to a series of one-night stands, including with Biff Fowler in late 1998. Discovering she was pregnant in 1999, Kelly initially attributed the pregnancy to before revealing Biff as the father; tragically, she miscarried after being pushed down stairs by during an argument. Amid these personal upheavals, Kelly began an incestuous affair with her stepbrother . During the affair, Scott stole jewelry, implicating Kelly; to protect her, took the blame, leading to his in November 1999. The affair strained family ties, and Scott revealed it shortly after Roy's release, contributing to the marriage's collapse. Kelly and Roy divorced by early 2000, after which Roy departed for alone. The exposure of the affair by their half-sister Donna triggered Kelly's by overdose in January 2000, which resulted in a . In November 2000, following a failed attempt to seduce her stepmother Viv's fiancé Bob —which resulted in Viv evicting her from the family home—Kelly left the village for London to start anew.

2005–2007

Kelly Windsor returned to Emmerdale in June 2005, initially to visit her stepbrother Scott Windsor, who was in a coma following an incident involving Zoe Tate. Upon her arrival, she immediately clashed with Zoe Tate over property disputes related to Home Farm, escalating tensions due to their shared history with Scott. Kelly also confronted Dawn Woods, Scott's ex-girlfriend, leading to heated arguments and a physical altercation in August 2005. Embracing village life, Kelly pursued several romantic entanglements that highlighted her manipulative tendencies. She seduced the village curate, Ethan Blake, in a scandalous church encounter that was witnessed by , further fueling social conflicts. Her fling with Ethan was short-lived, after which she briefly rekindled things with Scott before shifting her attention to older suitor . Kelly's relationship with Jimmy King began as a passionate in late , marked by a secret bathroom tryst, and soon deepened into an despite the couple's mismatched backgrounds. In 2006, Kelly discovered she was pregnant with Jimmy's child but chose to have an without informing him, prioritizing a lucrative modeling contract. She also engaged in business schemes, partnering with and his son to convert Holdgate Farm into a , though the venture collapsed when Rodney withdrew funding amid their deteriorating romance. Additional conflicts arose when Kelly shared a drunken kiss with in 2006, which led to blackmail by . These secrets unraveled on Kelly and 's wedding day in October 2007, when Eli revealed the kiss and Carrie Nicholls exposed the abortion, prompting Jimmy to jilt her at the altar. Humiliated and facing village ostracism, Kelly departed Emmerdale shortly thereafter in October 2007.

2011

Kelly Windsor returned to the Emmerdale storyline in early 2011 by attacking her ex-fiancé Jimmy King during a confrontation in Peterborough on 18 February, striking him with a torch and causing severe head trauma that resulted in amnesia. Having been engaged to Jimmy during her previous stint in the village from 2005 to 2007, Kelly later arrived in Emmerdale proper to exploit his memory loss, pretending their relationship had never ended and convincing him they were still deeply in love. She moved into Mill Cottage with him and manipulated events further by claiming responsibility for past incidents to deepen his reliance on her, including forging evidence of an alleged affair to justify their rekindled romance. Kelly introduced her young son Elliot, born off-screen shortly after her 2007 departure from the village, asserting that Jimmy was the father—a claim later verified through a paternity test that confirmed his parentage. , portrayed by Luca Hoyle, briefly resided with Kelly in the village, interacting with Jimmy who embraced his new role as father by buying clothes and toys for the boy. However, tensions escalated as Jimmy's wife Nicola grew suspicious of Kelly's intentions, leading to heated confrontations that highlighted Kelly's scheming nature. In April 2011, Jimmy regained fragments of his memory, eventually recalling the attack and confronting Kelly, who confessed to causing his injury in a desperate bid for reconciliation. By May, Kelly discovered Jimmy's efforts to win back Nicola, prompting further family drama including threats and a final ultimatum where she demanded he choose between her and his current life. When Jimmy refused, Kelly departed the village with on 27 May 2011, heading to start a new life in America and marking her permanent exit from the series.

Development and reception

Exits and returns

departed from her role as Kelly Windsor in 2000, seeking new acting challenges beyond the soap to avoid and pursue diverse projects. In February 2005, under series producer Kathleen Beedles, announced Silva's return to the role, with Kelly re-entering the village in June for a storyline centered on family ties, particularly her step-brother Scott Windsor's medical crisis; Silva signed a contract covering at least the next 12 months, enabling mature narratives for the now-adult character. The decision capitalized on Kelly's established Windsor family connections to integrate her into ongoing village dynamics. Silva took a break from the series in October 2007 for personal reasons, including a desire to explore international opportunities like breaking into the American market, which aligned with production plans for Kelly's temporary exit via a dramatic jilting storyline. Initially framed as a 12-month hiatus, it allowed Silva time for other endeavors while keeping the character's family links open for future developments. In November 2010, confirmed Silva's short-term return as Kelly, debuting in February 2011 to stir conflict through her familial and romantic entanglements in the village. This brief stint, lasting until later that year, was driven by Silva's interest in revisiting the role amid evolving Windsor family plots. In 2014, producers approached Silva for another comeback tied to her on-screen sister Donna's storyline, but she declined due to her following multiple miscarriages, prioritizing personal health and family. The recurring exits and returns of Kelly Windsor reflect Emmerdale's strategy to intermittently revive legacy characters like her, leveraging deep-rooted Windsor family ties—such as sibling bonds with Donna and connections to the and lineages—to sustain long-term narrative continuity and audience engagement without permanent commitment.

Reception

Adele Silva's portrayal of Kelly Windsor earned her several nominations at major soap awards, highlighting the character's appeal and dramatic intensity. She received a nomination for Sexiest Female at the 2008 , recognizing the seductive elements of Kelly's storylines. Additionally, Silva was nominated for Best Actress and Best Couple (alongside ) in other ceremonies during her tenure. Critics and media outlets have praised Silva's depiction of Kelly as a complex "superbitch" archetype, blending manipulation with vulnerability to create an iconic Emmerdale villainess. Described as a "manipulative and wily woman" who made events "never boring," Kelly's evolution from a troubled teen to a scheming adult was noted for its depth in soap commentary. Publications like Inside Soap referred to her as the "Emmerdale superbitch" over her decade-plus run, cementing her status as a memorable antagonist in the series' history. Kelly's fan legacy endures through ongoing speculation about her potential returns, often linked to her in the Dales. Viewers have clamored for her comeback in discussions from 2023 to 2025, particularly in connection to her son —whom she left with —and niece April Windsor amid the teen's dramatic runaways and troubles. Fans on platforms and in media have highlighted Kelly's memorable manipulative plots, such as affairs and deceptions, as reasons for her lasting popularity and calls for revival. As of 2023, Silva has transitioned from acting to a career in teaching and casting direction at the , though she has expressed openness to returning to in interviews as late as 2024. Storylines like Kelly's 2011 return involving the amnesia twist with exemplified Emmerdale's penchant for bold, twist-filled drama, enhancing the soap's reputation for high-stakes narratives. Her arcs contributed to the show's exploration of family betrayals and psychological tension, with Kelly's Windsor and connections—through siblings like Scott and ties to ongoing characters—persisting in current plots and fueling speculation about intergenerational conflicts.

References

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