Emmerdale legend Claire King has shared her heartbreak after her co-star was axed. Claire has been a firm favourite on the long-running ITV soap since 1989 - and as the man-eater queen of the village Kim Tate, she has played a part in several big storylines. From her many feuds in the Dales to faking her own death, her time on the show has not been short of drama over the years. READ MORE: Where you’ve seen Emmerdale's Owen actor before as fans swear they 'recognise' him READ MORE: Emmerdale favourite 'to return from dead' in shock twist and Cain Dingle will be floored Kim’s also been involved in several famous romances - including her affair and marriage to Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) and her recent romance with Will Taylor (Dean Andrews), who sadly died in Christmas last year. But Will isn’t the only character to have died on the soap recently. In February, several villages, including Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) and Amy Barton (Natalie Ann Jamieson) lost their lives following a shock limo crash. Now, speaking to Reach and other press, Claire has spoken out about actor Dean’s axe, revealing that she “misses” him. When asked about how it has been exploring the changing dynamic since Will’s exit, Claire said: “It’s been weird.” She explained: “I mean it’s great for the character and characters move on and you get somebody else to play with. But I kind of miss Dean!” The telly favourite went on: “He was my age and I’m now dealing with a whole load of 30-year-olds!” Laughing, Claire then quipped: “And I don’t do TikTok, so I kind of stand there like ‘what on earth are you talking about?’ “Whereas Dean and I would talk about horse racing or the rugby or something!” While several cast members have left the soap in the past 12 months, according to recent reports Claire has reportedly signed a new contract on Emmerdale. The actress, 63, is said to have agreed a new deal on the ITV soap that will keep her on the Dales for another year as village legend Kim. A source told The Sun : "Bosses love Claire and they are delighted she's going nowhere. Kim Tate is one of the soap all time greats and it's only right that she has a massive storyline. "It's going to delve into who Kim is and where she's come from and see her rediscover the grit that made her Kim Tate. She's going to stop at nothing to get what she wants - and make a few more enemies in the process as well as potentially changing the village forever." Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm