ITV Emmerdale: Real life of Chas Dingle actress Lucy Pargeter - sad split, pop career, and almost getting another role on soap

Chas Dingle has spent two decades in the eventful village that is Emmerdale.

Lucy Pargeter will be celebrating her 20th anniversary on the ITV soap this year after joining in 2002.

And it was an interesting introduction as Chas first arrived in Emmerdale dressed as a nun for the stag night of her cousin Marlon.

Over the years Lucy has tackled a whole host of storyline as Chas - from connecting with her half-sister Gennie Walker and being landlady of The Woolpack, to being taken hostage and tragically losing her baby daughter, Grace.

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Lucy's life, however, has been a lot less dramatic than that of Chas'.

The actress, who was born in Nottingham, didn't start her career on the small screen.

She was in fact a member of the pop band Paperdolls.

The band had brief success and toured with Boyzone in the 1990s.

Lucy also made an appearance on the hit show Stars in Their Eyes, performing as Spice Girl Emma Bunton, then in 2006 took part in the reality singing competition Soapstar Superstar where she finished third.

The soap star may also be known for her other TV role as Helen Raven in Crossroads, a role she played from 2002 - the same year she joined Emmerdale - to 2003.

Before that she appeared in Soldier Soldier, Dalziel and Pascoe, and played the role of Brenda in the film Anita and Me.

But when it came to Emmerdale, it was almost another Dingle she played.

"I'd auditioned for a couple of parts before – one was a trucker and one was Charity. I got down to the final three for that," Lucy recently told Inside Soap.

"I knew James Hooton (who plays Sam Dingle) from drama classes and he said to me, 'Apparently you did something weird