Deena Payne

Diane Margaret "Deena" Payne (born 29th August 1954 in Orpington, Kent) is an English actress and former singer who portrayed Viv Hope in Emmerdale from August 1993 to January 2011, thereby becoming one of the programme's longest-serving cast members.
Payne used to tour with ex-Animals keyboard player Alan Price as a backing singer and she was a member of the novelty girl band Cats U.K.. She was also one of the dancers in Rock Follies of '77.
Payne is married to musician Steve Grant who is currently touring with The Sweet.
In 2003, Payne was a contestant alongside Ben Freeman, Amy Nuttall, Billy Hartman and Lorraine Chase on defunct ITV gameshow Russian Roulette. She was the first one to leave, getting picked by the roulette at the end of round one.
On 7th November 2007, it was announced Payne would take a 12-month break from Emmerdale in the summer of 2008. She returned to the series on 14th July 2009, then announced her desire to leave once more.
In 2010, producer Gavin Blyth made the decision to axe Viv after Deena's breaks, and the character was killed off alongside Terry Woods on 13th January 2011. This decision caused upset with fans and former producer Kathleen Beedles.
Category:Emmerdale actors