Emmerdale star Amy Walsh shared sad news with her Instagram followers on Wednesday
Emmerdale star Amy Walsh has suffered a heartbreaking loss as fans rushed to support her. The 38-year-old actress, who plays Tracy Robinson on the ITV soap, took to Instagram to share sad news on Wednesday (January 7).
Amy shared a post on her Story which announced the death of actor Frazer Hammill. “Rest in peace you wonderful man,” she wrote alongside his picture.
Frazer was known for his appearances in Justice League, Last Laugh, Happy Valley and Abraham’s Point, as well as playing a prison guard in Emmerdale back in 2021.
The John Godber Theatre Company shared the devastating news on their official Instagram page, writing: “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Frazer Hammill. It is impossible to put into words how much he will be missed by all of us who had the absolute joy of working with him.”
The Yorkshire-based company added, “Frazer had a huge, loving heart and enormous talent. We are all heartbroken.”
A devastated Amy wrote in the comments: “There are no words,” alongside three broken heart emojis. Lots of other people shared their sadness, alongside memories they had of the former youth theatre member.
“Shocked and saddened to see this, sending my thoughts to his family and loved ones,” one person wrote, with another adding: “A gentle spirit and a huge heart. Love to all.”
A third said, “What a brilliant person and performer he was! We’re all deeply saddened to hear this,” with another sharing similarly, “Truly heartbroken.”
A fourth fan echoed the sentiment, saying: “Such sad news, I’ll always remember his lessons and his kind words. Thinking of his family and friends at this hard time,” with someone else writing: “What an absolute gem of a man. A true loss to the world. RIP Frazman.”
Amy joined the cast of Emmerdale in 2014. The star has been part of several memorable storylines during her time in the Dales. Tracy notably endured the death of her father, Frank Clayton (Michael Praed), embarked on an affair with Caleb Miligan (William Ash), and was caught up in last year’s horrific limo crash.
The shop worker also lost her husband, Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter), after he was murdered by killer John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) in September 2024.
In a flashback clip, John, who was killed by his sister Victoria (Isabel Hodgins) in the Corriedale crossover this week, injected Nate with an unknown substance with the intention of “saving” him. However, Nate had an adverse reaction to the medication and tragically died.
John then drove Nate’s body to the bridge and pushed the concealed corpse into the lake, where the limo crash had notably taken place.
Since joining the ITV soap, Amy has been nominated for several awards for her portrayal of Tracy. She was nominated for Serial Drama Performance at the 25th National Television Awards, as well as Best Actress at the 2021 Inside Soap Awards and Best Soap Performance at the I Talk Telly Awards the same year.
Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 8pm on ITV1 and STV, and Coronation Street airs weekday nights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and STV as part of ITV’s new soap power hour scheduling pattern for Coronation Street and Emmerdale
SAN ANTONIO — For a nine-win team such as USC, once again on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff, the bowl season can feel a bit like purgatory. One foot in the past season, the other in the future, your team trapped somewhere in-between.
There were glimpses of each Tuesday night for USC in a brutal 30-27 overtime defeat to Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl. There were equal reminders all night both of what could have been this season, had USC ever played at its best for long, and also flashes of why it never managed to be.
In one moment, there was freshman Tanook Hines, sprinting to catch a deep ball in stride, announcing himself as a rising star. In another, a TCU running back was busting his way through tackles on third-and-long, rumbling improbably into the end zone, deflating any such delusions of grandeur.
But after oscillating between those opposing poles, the final minutes against TCU took the Trojans on a tour of all their most glaring concerns from the 2025 season, from the leaky defense to the missed opportunities on offense.
Highlights from Texas Christian’s 30-27 overtime win over USC in the Alamo Bowl.
The Trojans saw a two-score lead evaporate in the final minutes of regulation. They got all the way to the five-yard line in overtime, only for the offense to stall and settle for a field goal. They even sacked TCU quarterback Ken Seals on second and 10, pushing the Horned Frogs out of field-goal range and forcing a third and 20.
All signs in that moment pointed toward the Trojans securing their 10th win, a feat they achieved only once over the past eight years. But then, against a three-man USC rush and with eight defenders in coverage, Seals checked down to running back Jeremy Payne in the flat.
“We did everything right defensively to put them in that position,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said.
Nothing, though, went right for USC after that. Payne broke through a tackle from cornerback Marcelles Williams. Two defenders, linebacker Jadyn Walker and safety Kennedy Urlacher, collided as they reached Payne next, missing him entirely. Then, he slipped through safety Christian Pierce’s hands and was suddenly sprinting free 35 yards for the win.
“Wasn’t a lot of time this year that we missed multiple tackles on a play,” Riley said. “It just happened in the worst time possible.”
That’s how most of the fourth quarter and overtime felt for USC, as TCU racked up 159 yards and 17 points over its final three drives.
Of course, there had been multiple chances before then for USC to put the game away, just like there were multiple chances for USC to make more of its 9-4 finish this season. The Trojans averaged nearly a full yard per play more than TCU. They racked up eight plays of 20 yards or more — a reminder of how explosive they could be.
In the red zone, though, the offense unraveled. Quarterback Jayden Maiava, who was inconsistent most of the night, threw a third-quarter interception in the end zone, just as USC looked primed to go on a roll.
Four other times, the Trojans stalled inside of TCU’s 25-yard line and settled for field goals as kicker Ryon Sayeri set the USC record for field goals in a season at 21.
“We just did not execute good enough in the red zone on either side of the ball,” Riley said. “If we did that, it’s probably a different feeling.”
Instead, the Trojans will have to carry this bitter taste into the offseason, with questions already looming about what comes next. Not the least of which being what direction USC will take its defense, after coordinator D’Anton Lynn departed for Penn State just before the game.
USC running back King Miller is stopped short by the Texas Christian defense in the first half during the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.
(Eric Gay / Associated Press)
Riley wouldn’t comment on why Lynn was replaced as playcaller the day of the bowl game. But when asked how he felt about the future of his defense, Riley projected a particularly sunny outlook.
“I feel fantastic,” he said. “But those who really study the game and watch how we’ve played and the way we’ve been able to improve, the arrow is just pointing straight up.”
Of all the questions raised Tuesday, how USC might replace its No. 1 wideout next season was not one of them. Hines had already done his part to earn that role, but declared it to the world anyway in a six-catch, 163-yard performance.
King Miller also continued to solidify his place in a tandem with Waymond Jordan in 2026, as he rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown, coming up just short of the 1,000-yard mark in a season he started as a walk-on.
USC coach Lincoln Riley, right, greets TCU coach Sonny Dykes after the Trojans’ overtime loss in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.
(Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)
But the silver linings largely stopped there, even if the circumstances made for an unusually uphill climb with USC’s roster. Over a dozen starters or would-be starters sat out. Three of the Trojans’ starting offensive linemen didn’t dress. Both of their top receivers and top tight end were in street clothes, having declared for the NFL draft. Twenty-five players listed in USC’s two-deep Tuesday were either freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
Without Lynn calling plays, which a source described as “a mutual agreement”, defensive line coach Eric Henderson stepped into the role.
It went quite smoothly at first. USC held TCU to two straight three-and-outs — and just 11 total yards in two drives — to open the game.
But on the ensuing possession, Maiava threw into heavy coverage and was intercepted, his first of two on the night. The momentum USC had built up early dissolved almost instantly.
The defense’s strong start faded into disarray. And while it came roaring back after halftime, forcing an interception and limiting TCU to just 35 yards in the third quarter, USC’s offense couldn’t fully capitalize. A one-handed touchdown pass to Jaden Richardson nearly did the trick, giving the Trojans a 21-14 lead that seemed primed to balloon from there.
But it never did. And in the final, stunned moments of its season, Riley was left offering the same assurances that USC will soon be out of purgatory.
“When you’ve been in those programs and been a part of those teams that have done those things, you feel what it’s like,” Riley said. “And this place is doing all the things that you need to do to put yourself in position to go bust that door down and do it.”
TCU players celebrate after beating USC in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.
Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic suffered a “gut-wrenching” knee injury as the Denver Nuggets lost 147-123 at the Miami Heat.
Jokic was hurt late in the first half in an accidental coming together with team-mate Spencer Jones.
Jones stepped on the foot of Jokic who immediately collapsed to the ground clutching his knee.
The 30-year-old will have an MRI scan on Tuesday to determine the seriousness of the problem.
“Immediately, he knew something was wrong,” said Nuggets head coach David Adelman.
“This is part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt, it’s gut-wrenching, especially somebody as special as he is. We’ll find out more tomorrow.
“We’ll move on as a team. Obviously, right now, I’m more concerned just about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that.”
Jokic, who leads the NBA season in rebounds and assists, had 21 points and eight assists in the game before suffering the injury.
