Leah Bracknell (born 12th July 1964 in London, England) played Zoe Tate between 1989 and 2005. When she left in 2005, she was originally meant to take a 9-month break but hasn't returned since.
Since leaving Emmerdale, Leah appeared in Judge John Deed, Casualty 1907 and Doctors and even had a regular as Matron Jenny Carrington in The Royal Today.
Leah announced in October 2016 that she was battling terminal lung cancer, and set up a crowdfunding page online to help her get treatment for her condition in Germany in order to prolong her life. The target - £50,000 - was well and truly smashed within a short time of the page being set up.