‘Emmerdale’ and ‘Hollyoaks’ Siblings Heartbroken as Their Mum Passes Away on Mother’s Day

Both siblings posted deeply personal tributes online, and the family photographs they have shared over the years, which you will find at the end of this article, are as moving as the words themselves.

For most people, Mother's Day means flowers and phone calls. However, for two of Britain's most familiar soap faces, 15 March 2026 brought something far more final.

"Emmerdale" favourite Charley Webb and her brother, Jamie Lomas, best known to "Hollyoaks" audiences, have announced the passing of their mother, Helen, on Mother's Day — the end of a 12-year journey with Alzheimer's disease.

Webb was the first to share the news with her followers, posting a childhood photograph — waiting for you at the end of the article — of herself pressing a kiss to her mother's cheek. The image alone said a great deal, but her caption said even more.

"My beautiful Mum left us today on Mother's Day. 15/03/2026 ❤️ The past twelve years were stolen from us, that's the only way to describe this feeling. 'The long goodbye'", the actress shared.

She continued, "Thank you to everyone for all of your support, especially everyone that's looked after her so well for the last 3 years. And to all of my closest people, I couldn't life without you 🫶🏽".

What makes Webb's loss feel all the more personal is what she quietly gave up along the way — she had spent years as the much-loved Debbie Dingle on the long-running Yorkshire soap before stepping away.

One fan was quick to acknowledge it in the comments, writing, "So sad, Charley gave up her role in 'Emmerdale' to care for her mum, what a lovely daughter." Lomas, meanwhile, shared his own tribute alongside a photograph of the two of them together.

In it, he wrote that after 12 years, their mother had finally gone, and that for anyone who has ever cared for someone with Alzheimer's, there is an uncomfortable truth that comes with it — you do not lose them once, but twice.

He described watching a woman who had always been so strong gradually become, in his words, a shell of who she once was — and the immense difficulty of bearing witness to that, year after year.

He closed by telling her she was now at peace, that she was loved and would be deeply missed, and that she had been the very first person to love him, before the world had even had the chance.

He also took a moment to thank every member of staff who had cared for his mother, calling each of them truly remarkable. Online, the response from fans was immediate.

Netizens flooded social media with messages of love and support, with many clearly moved not just by the loss itself, but by the particular cruelty of its timing.

"Heartbreaking so sorry for your loss xx," wrote one person. "So sorry for your loss. Loosing a parent anytime of the year is hard but to suffer the lost on their special day must be tenfold [sic]. Thinking of you all at this time," said another.

A third offered something simpler but no less warm. "How sad for you all especially on Mother's Day of all days, thinking of you all, hold on to all your precious memories of her," they shared.

Meanwhile, not everyone was prepared for the news. "No way she's to young for thst [sic]," one commenter typed — a reaction shared by many who read the posts.

The actors' mother is now remembered by her children not through grand gestures, but through the small, aching details they chose to share — a childhood photograph, a final thank-you, and one line from a son who had never forgotten that his mother loved him first.