Rishi has met a heartbreaking end after 12 years in Emmerdale (Picture: ITV)

Emmerdalehas left audiences absolutely stunned with a jaw-dropping twist, which saw one of the show’s major characters killed off.

Rishi Sharma (Bhasker Patel), who has been at odds with son Jai (Chris Bisson) in recent weeks, was seen dead at the bottom of the stairs as the credits rolled on Thursdays (July 27) hour-long offering of the ITV soap.