Lisa Riley has revealed the devastating reason why she will never marry her fiancé Al after he popped the question over a decade ago.

The actress, 48, best known for playing Mandy Dingle on Emmerdale, explained that she already feels married and couldn’t cope with such a huge event without the couple’s parents, in an interview with The Mirror.

The soap star has been engaged to the musician since 2014 and explained her other half ‘has no parents’ and so they would not like to do the day without those they love the most.

She told the publication: ‘We’re already married, but not married and honestly, I truly couldn’t cope with the big day without my mum by my side- why would I want to put myself through that? 

‘Al lost his mum not long ago, and he’s got no parents. Thank God I’ve got Dad. But you know, we’re not kids – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We’re 11 years together in June. 

Gracing our screens as feisty Mandy Dingle for almost 30 years, Lisa Riley portrays one of Emmerdale’s longest-running and best-loved characters.

Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley has revealed the devastating reason why she will never marry her fiancé Al after they popped the question over a decade ago

The actress, 48, best known for playing Mandy Dingle in the soap, explained that she already feels married and couldn’t cope with such a huge event without her and his parents

Lisa lost her mother Cath to cancer in 2012 and back in August 2022, Lisa revealed she won’t be marrying Al because both their mothers have tragically pᴀssed away.

She told The Mirror back in 2022: ‘We’ve lost both our mums. And when it comes to things like weddings, you do it for the other people.’

‘I’m never going to change my name, so really, what would be different?’

Lisa admitted she went back to work ‘too quickly’ after tragically losing her fiancé Al’s mother to cancer.

The actress said she wanted to carry on after the loss but later realised that she shouldn’t have returned to filming the ITV soap opera before the funeral.

She admitted that losing Al’s mother, who she affectionately calls Nana, brought back difficult memories of her own mother Cathy’s death from pancreatic cancer in 2012.

Lisa told The Mirror: ‘It has been a treacherous time and it’s still very raw in the family. In hindsight, when Nana pᴀssed I shouldn’t have gone back to work so quickly.

‘But what I wanted to do was carry on regardless, and I had to really dig deep to shoot the scenes, I now realise it was the wrong thing to do before the funeral.’

The soap star has been engaged to the musician – whom little is known about – since 2014 and explained her other half ‘has no parents’ and so would not like to do the day without them

Lisa lost her mother Cath to cancer in 2012 and back in August 2022, Lisa revealed she won’t be marrying Al because both their mothers have tragically pᴀssed away (pictured in 2018)

She described Al’s mother as like a ‘second mother’ to her and said they were incredibly close.

But Lisa said the cast and crew of Emmerdale all flocked around her to support her through the difficult time.

Speaking of the loss, she told Woman’s Weekly ­magazine: ‘Tragedy does pull people together. I am so glad we’ve got each other.’

Read More ‘You do it for other people’: Emmerdale star Lisa Riley heartbreakingly reveals she WON’T marry fiancé Al as both their mothers have died

Lisa took a short break from Coronation Street following the devastating loss of her Nana, while she also didn’t attend the British Soap Awards in June.

The TV star opened up about her devastating loss in a moving Instagram post earlier this year.

She penned: ‘Today, we know, will be the toughest day, we lean on each other, you are now at peace, yet we are all craving your energy around the house. 

‘God has gained another Angel. May you light up heaven with your warmth and your infectious smile. I will be trying to be strong for the both of us.’

Lisa has been with her partner Al for seven years and the couple got engaged in 2018.

The pair were previously incredibly private about their relationship, with Lisa choosing to keep Al away from the spotlight until they were spotted together for the first time in public in 2019.