Kay Purcell of Emmerdale and Tracy Beaker Returns dies at 57

Purcell played care worker Gina Conway in The Dumping Ground

Actress Kay Purcell, known for her roles in Emmerdale and Tracy Beaker Returns, has died at the age of 57.

Her death was announced "with great regret" on Twitter by her agents, David Daly Associates.

Purcell played two roles in ITV's Emmerdale and Gina Conway in Tracy Beaker Returns, a role she reprised in its spin-off series The Dumping Ground.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and was told she had inoperable liver cancer earlier this year.

Earlier this month she took to Facebook to say she was "certainly not giving up" and was looking forward to turning 60.

"From now on I'm going to live my life to the fullest, spending every day living the best of my life I can," she wrote.

Dani Harmer, who played Tracy in the character's various TV series, marked her co-star's death by posting a broken heart emoji.

Born in Leyland, Lancashire in 1963, Purcell appeared in Coronation Street and Casualty before joining Emmerdale.

She played Carmel Morgan from 1996 to 1998 before returning to the soap in 2001 to play Cynthia Daggert.

Purcell went on to appear in the first series of Celebrity Fit Club and play Candice Smilie in Waterloo Road.

She was also seen as Mrs Rennison in So Awkward, in which she appeared alongside the late Archie Lyndhurst.

In 2009 Purcell set up a management company, Kay Purcell Management, in her native north-west.

She is survived by her three children, Ashley, Shemar and Indika, and her "beautiful" grandson Levon.