Liv Dingle (also Flaherty) is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Isobel Steele. The character made her first on-screen appearance on 25 February 2016. Liv was introduced as part of her half-brother Aaron Dingle's (Danny Miller) sex abuse storyline, which would see her realise that her father is a sex offender. Liv was initially characterised as a troublemaker, but her depth was explored following the decision to move in with Aaron. Steele has noted that similar aspects of her character are similar to herself, and appreciates that Emmerdale wrote her as a teenage with authority since she felt that this is rarely seen on television. Liv became the first asexual character to be featured in a British soap opera, and Steele has been praised by viewers and critics for her role in the storyline. Asexual people felt that the character was an accurate portrayal of themselves and Steele has expressed her gratitude at being able to represent them on-screen.
As well as her asexuality, Liv's storylines have seen her become an alcoholic, be imprisoned for spiking Lisa Dingle's (Jane Cox) drink with ketamine, form relationships with Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) and Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson), be diagnosed with epilepsy, expose numerous criminals for their behaviour and be wrongly imprisoned for the murder of Ben Tucker (Simon Lennon). Within months of her debut appearance, Steele was nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Newcomer. She was then nominated for three further Newcomer awards, winning one at the TVTimes Awards. Steele has also been awarded two awards for Best Young Actor. Claire Lindsay of Metro labelled Steele "an Emmerdale stalwart in the making", with Chloe Timms of Digital Spy stating that Liv has forged a meaningful place on the soap, accrediting this to Steele's "vulnerable performances" in her issue-led storylines.
The character was killed-off on 19 October 2022 after being crushed by a caravan during a storm to celebrate Emmerdale 50th anniversary.
Casting and characterisation Steele's casting was announced on 16 February 2016, and it was confirmed that her first appearance would air on 25 February 2016. Emmerdale producers made the decision to introduce "teenage troublemaker" Liv as part of her half-brother Aaron Livesy's (Danny Miller) sex abuse storyline. Steele said that she likes her character and that she sees several aspects of herself in Liv. She described Liv as "very strong willed and quite powerful", and liked that Liv is a difficult character to intimidate. Steele felt that having a teenage character with authority is good for Emmerdale to show, since teenagers are usually portrayed as "timid and easy to intimidate". She felt that over her tenure, Liv has become "a character in her own right", and expressed her gratitude at having the role. As well as showing strong tendencies, Liv's "softness and vulnerability" has also been explored by the soap.
Development Introduction Liv first appears when Aaron hunts for evidence on Gordon Livesy (Gary Mavers), Liv and Aaron's father, since he sexually abused Aaron. Aaron and his boyfriend Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) arrive at Liv's house to confront her mother Sandra Flaherty (Joanne Mitchell), and while they are standing outside, Liv steals Aaron's wallet. Miller stated that his character's introduction to Liv "isn't a great start", but noted that viewers would be able to see an instant bond form between the pair. He described Liv as "cheeky and a bit naughty", and likened the character to his own at his age. Aaron does not tell Sandra about Liv stealing his wallet, as he "instantly loves her" and wants to protect her. Liv sees Aaron confronting Sandra and pinning her against a wall, which "breaks her heart". Sandra refuses to stand in court for Aaron, and although Liv does not initially believe Aaron, she soon realises that Gordon is lying. Sandra states that she will be moving to Dublin with Liv. It becomes "increasingly clear" that Liv wants to stay in Emmerdale, Aaron offers to become her full-time guardian. Sandra accepts and allows Liv to live with Aaron. Executive producer Iain MacLeod stated that Liv will challenge Aaron and Robert's relationship, accrediting this to Liv not getting on with Robert and wanting Aaron's attention.
Asexuality In October 2017, Liv begins to struggle with her sexuality. Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham) makes a remark that Liv is not into boys, so in retaliation, she kisses Gerry Roberts (Shaun Thomas). She then opens up to Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) and tells her that she is not into boys or girls. She tells Belle that it would be easier if she liked Gerry, but that she "has nothing" romantically. This led viewers to believe that Liv is asexual, and Digital Spy confirmed that if she is asexual, it would "mark new ground" for Emmerdale due to never having had an asexual character prior to this. Producers announced their plans for Liv to have a "big storyline", and in January 2018, Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy wrote that they are "taking their time delivering it". Kilkelly also suspected that the storyline would be based around Liv's asexuality hints from October. Later in January, Miller confirmed in an interview with Kilkelly that they were filming the aforementioned storyline at that point in time. He revealed that there would be a point in the storyline where his character advises Liv, as Aaron had been through something similar. However, he noted that Liv may not "allow him in to talk to her about that kind of stuff." Miller opined that Liv is similar to Aaron, and that both he and Steele worked hard on making their mannerisms similar for the purpose of the storyline.
In March 2018, it was announced by Digital Spy that Emmerdale would be revisiting Liv's asexuality storyline. Scenes continue to show Liv struggling to put a label on her sexuality, as she becomes concerned when she feels no sexual attraction to males nor females. Liv sets Gabby up on a date with classmate Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant), but Jacob assumes that Liv is the person who likes him. Liv opens up to Gabby about her lack of attraction to people, and despite supporting her, Gabby assumes she is just picky. Speaking on the storyline, Steele stated that she enjoyed being involved in the storyline since it had never been done on a soap opera before. She felt that it was important to portray asexuality particularly due to its rarity on television. Steele noted that she was well informed on asexuality prior to filming the storyline, but confirmed that she looked into real people's stories to gauge their opinions on certain topics. Eventually, she opens up to Aaron, who tells Liv that there is no rush to label herself, and that it is normal to not know since she is young. Steele noted that this was not easy for her character to do, and that it takes a "bit of goading". The actress noted that despite usually being open with Aaron, it was understandable for Liv to not want to talk about her asexuality with Aaron since it is a personal topic. Steele added that Liv invested herself in Aaron's relationship with Robert as a way to not focus on her own problems.
Alcoholism and imprisonment In March 2018, it was announced that Liv would be seen "getting into trouble" after a prank involving Gabby becomes "out of control". MacLeod described Steele as "super-talented and a rare find", and stated that the production team conjured the "quite big and dark" storyline to explore Steele's acting talents. Liv and Gabby steal a vial of ketamine from vet Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) with intentions of spiking Daz Spencer's (Mark Jordon) drink. However, Liv accidentally spikes Lisa Dingle's (Jane Cox) drink, who collapses and goes into cardiac arrest. Speaking on the storyline, Steele explained that her character has a "better perspective of how things can go wrong" unlike Gabby, who she described as "very immature". She opined that Liv did not want to carry out the prank, but Gabby's "nasty streak" makes her character feel pressured to please Gabby and fit in. Since Gabby feels guilty for Liv's involvement, she takes the blame, which Steele noted has "quite the effect" on Liv. Liv's struggle with guilt causes her to drink more alcohol than usual, as she feels responsible for a "massive betrayal". A member of the Dingle family informs the police of Liv's involvement, and she is questioned by the police, and Liv then admits to spiking Lisa's drink. Miller explained that Aaron becomes terrified that Liv will be imprisoned, especially due to her asexuality. Since Aaron's homosexuality was a target for him in prison, he "knows what it's like to be inside and the possibilities of drugs". Liv is then charged with theft and administering a noxious substance, which "adds to the fears that she could end up behind bars". The backlash Liv faces from almost everybody around her causes her to turn to alcohol on several occasions, and Kilkelly wrote that her drinking could become a problem. At her court hearing, Liv's representative is swapped at the last minute, and she is given a man who has not prepared. Liv hopes that Lisa will be able to speak for her, but her new lawyer does not bother to phone her. Due to her anxiety, Liv is not able to make an apology; since Gabby has apologised, it "paints Liv in a bad light". Duncan Lindsay, writing for the Metro, stated that since Liv is secretly battling with an alcohol dependency, it would be difficult for her to cope in prison.
Liv is sentenced to four months in a youth detention centre. Following her sentencing, "viewers' worst fears were finally confirmed" when it was revealed that Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) is responsible for her lawyer being swapped. This was due to Joe wanting to make Aaron vulnerable for a business deal. Liv repeatedly affirms to Aaron that she is fine in the unit, but when he visits her, she opens up about her alcohol problem. Aaron vows to be supportive of Liv, but Lindsay wrote that it "may prove easier said than done" due to being in prison. When Liv is in prison, Gerry is killed, which leads her to be "overcome with sadness over her loss". Following her release from prison, Aaron becomes worried that she will not be able to cope. Liv gives Terry (Daniel Casey) a comic strip drawn by Gerry, and Lachlan White (Thomas Atkinson), who murdered Gerry, realises that it incriminates him. Liv begins a cat and mouse situation with Lachlan when she notices that he is hiding something. She texts him threatening messages anonymously, and Atkinson stated that although his character is initially unaware of who is sending the messages, Liv is in danger. He explained that Liv "doesn't really know what Lachlan is capable of", as Liv believes he is only responsible for a robbery rather than Gerry's murder. Lachlan realises that Liv is responsible for the text messages when he sees her acting suspiciously with a phone. Emmerdale then listed Liv as a potential victim of Lachlan, who becomes "grimly satisfied" when he believes that he has killed her by breaking the carbon monoxide detector at her house and deliberately causing a gas leak. Liv survives and blames Lachlan for her potential death, but nobody believes her. As a result, Liv begins drinking again in a "heartbreaking twist".
Relationship with Jacob Gallagher