Lisa Riley – who’s been bringing Mandy Dingle’s unforgettable chaos, charm and killer one-liners to Emmerdale on and off for nearly 30 years – has made it clear she’s entering the I’m A Celebrity jungle with one mission: keep the peace… but don’t push her.
“I don’t suffer fools gladly,” she’s already warned. “My inner Mandy Dingle will come out if someone is mean!”
And while Lisa’s taken a brief detour from the Dales for her I’m A Celebrity adventure, fans don’t need to panic. Mandy’s break from Emmerdale will play out on screen next year, but it won’t last long.
She’s joined in the 2025 line-up by Kelly Brook, Shona McGarty, Martin Kemp, Ruby Wax, Alex Scott, Jack Osbourne, Eddie Kadi, Angry Ginge and Aitch – a chaotic mix that’s already proving entertaining.
So who exactly is the Manchester-born soap legend behind one of Emmerdale’s most iconic characters? Here’s everything you need to know about Lisa Riley…
How old is Lisa Riley?
The Emmerdale star is currently 49 years old. She will turn 50 on July 13, 2026.
Fame came calling at a relatively young age – Lisa was 19 when she landed her role in Emmerdale. As a younger teen, she’d had smaller roles in soaps Coronation Street and Brookside, and drama Butterflies.
Lisa Riley’s two very emotional reasons for saying yes to I’m A Celebrity…
This is the first year Lisa thought it felt right for her to do the show, even though producers had asked her many times before.
She’s explained recently: “They have asked me to be in it numerous times before – but now I’ve finally said yes. The reasons are I’m going to be 50 next year, it is thirty years on and off playing Mandy Dingle and then 10 years of being sober.”
Lisa said losing her mum to cancer in 2012 and then her former Strictly dance partner and best friend Robin Windsor, last year, also gave her the strength to sign up for the show.
“I lost my best friend not so long ago, and mum got diagnosed at the age of 48. I’m 49. Nothing can be as bad as that in life, and I have to see if I can do it. Every day is a blessing and I want to really enjoy everything.”
Is Lisa Riley married and who is her partner?
Al proposed over a decade ago, but Lisa told The Mirror in 2022 that she doesn’t want to have a wedding without her mum.
“I truly couldn’t cope with the big day without my mum by my side. Why would I put myself through that?” she said.
“Al lost his mum not long ago, and he’s got no parents. Thank God I’ve got Dad. But we’re not kids – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
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When was Lisa Riley on Strictly?
Lisa took part in the 2012 series of Strictly Come Dancing. She wowed judges with her fancy footwork before leaving the show in the semi-final.
In an emotional social media post at the time, Lisa said: “My bestie, my Robin, my angel. Now our forever angel, who is loved, will always be loved. Forever in my heart, my very broken heart. I love you, shine your beautiful, electric energy from heaven.”
Lisa Riley on her sobriety and addiction to alcohol
Lisa has been proudly tee-total since August 2015, having ditched booze to help her be healthier.
She admits to drinking heavily previously; it became a crutch as she struggled emotionally following the death of her mother Cath in 2012.
At one point she was drinking a bottle of wine or more every night. She has said in the past: “I realised there were lots of empty calories in booze so that is why I gave it up.”
Lisa added: “It’s a decision I made for many personal reasons for myself where I knew enough was enough and I had to take total control of that.
“There was only me that could take control of my sobriety and the volume I was consuming.”
Lisa Riley also opened up about alcohol with fellow campmate Jack Osbourne while in the jungle. The former MTV star asked the actress if she had given up drinking completely.
She said the amount she used to consume was ‘crazy’, and added: “I had three bottles of Malbec every night because mentally I needed it.
“But I’ve been to New York, I’ve been to AA a lot. I love it. I find the people so interesting”.
She had a heart-to-heart with Jack who also struggled with alcoholism as a teenager. He began drinking at 14 years old and entered rehab three years later and has now been sober for more than two decades.
How much weight did the Emmerdale actress lose – and how?
Lisa shed an amazing 12 stone in 2016, going from a size 28 to a size 14 and has even written her own cookbooks. But she says it wasn’t a diet that got her fighting fit, it was simply by making small changes to her lifestyle.
Lisa is now alcohol-free and has quit smoking and greasy food.
She told Bella Magazine: “I’m the healthiest I can possibly be. I train a lot, I eat the right things. It’s not a diet, I just literally eat less and move more!”
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When did Lisa Riley first join – and then leave – Emmerdale previously?
Lisa first burst into Emmerdale back in 1995, before stepping away from the Dales in 2001. After nearly two decades of trying out new challenges, she made her big return in 2019 – and she’s been a core part of village life ever since.
She’s been open about why she took time away: she simply wanted to spread her wings. And she really did. During her Emmerdale break, Lisa fronted You’ve Been Framed, became a Loose Women panellist and racked up an impressive list of acting credits, including Fat Friends, Waterloo Road, Scott & Bailey and the hard-hitting Three Girls.
And as Mandy Dingle, she’s certainly not been short of drama. Over the years she’s been unmasked as Vinny Dingle’s secret mum, dabbled briefly as a financial dominatrix and finally tied the knot with her long-time love Paddy Dingle. Mandy never does things quietly – and thankfully, neither does Lisa.
Lisa Riley on IVF and not having kids
The Emmerdale star previously tried IVF after revealing she was “in love” for the first time. But Lisa Riley revealed she decided to stop the treatment when she discovered her eggs “weren’t good enough”.
She said back in 2018: “[My] body was being pumped full of hormones to get my egg readings, and in the end they weren’t good enough.
“It messes with your head and I just couldn’t do that to myself any more. The past few months have been really hard, emotionally draining, and we just decided that enough was enough. I tried it, I gave it a go and it didn’t work.”
Lisa added: “Finding out that I was unlikely to get pregnant was a blow. But I refuse to be defined by that.”
And in 2024 Lisa Riley confessed she didn’t want to adopt, and was okay with not having kids.
She told The Sun: “I would never adopt. I wouldn’t be able to cope because I would wake up thinking they would always want to go back to their biological parents.
“There are enough lovely people in this world that would like to adopt, but no, we are past that now.
“I am 48 and I feel like an unfinished jigsaw — that is the truth of a woman who doesn’t have children but who is okay with it.”
I’m A Celebrity’s Lisa Riley is a proud auntie
Lisa Riley doesn’t have any children of her own, but is a very proud auntie.
Speaking of appearing on I’m A Celebrity, she joked that being on the show would earn her some serious ‘cool auntie’ points.
“Forget the NTAs and BAFTAs, the fact I am going into the jungle means I am hopefully the best auntie in the world to my nephews Jakey and Joshua, and niece, Everlyn.
“I can forever say to them I tackled the jungle head-on. It is going to be ace!”
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Lisa Riley absolutely adores her aunty duties, and she never misses a chance to gush about her nieces and nephews online. Her social media is full of sweet snapshots and proud captions.
Back in March, she couldn’t help but joke that little Everlyn was practically destined for showbiz – following right in her aunty Lisa’s footsteps.
Read more: I’m A Celebrity 2025: Lisa Riley given huge boost at the bookies before first elimination
I’m A Celebrity is on 9pm tonight on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
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