
Tracy Beaker's Dani Harmer nearly landed Emmerdale role
The role of Debbie Dingle was actually filled by Charley Webb, who first appeared in the show all the way back in 2002, before exiting in 2021.
However, child star Dani, who is now 36-years-old, has opened up about some of her past auditions, as well as the roles she failed to get.
Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer reveals she nearly landed the role of Debbie Dingle on Emmerdale
According to The Sun, Dani Harmer said: "Another random part that I auditioned for, Debbie Dingle in Emmerdale. Weird.
"I got quite far for that one, too, but didn't get it, probably because I wasn't Northern.
"Yeah, I don't think I was ever right for that, but what could have been a but, yeah, definitely weren't right for that one."
The actor also revealed that before landing the role of Tracy Beaker, she made it to the last round of auditions for the hit kids' show My Parents Are Aliens.
Sharing her devastation at being rejected for the part, she said: "Back in the day. I auditioned for a little show called My Parents Are Aliens.
"I actually got down to the final two for that, and I was devastated when I didn't get it, like, oh man. I was so sad.
"And I did a really good audition and everything. And, yeah, I was so gutted. But a year later, I got Tracy Beaker, so I feel like everything happens for a reason."
Beyond ITV and the BBC, the star also tried to secure a part for a global show on the Disney Channel.
She said: "This one's gonna really make you giggle at one point, they did do a UK casting call for Hannah Montana.
"I did, in fact, have an audition for her friend. So don't panic, I wasn't after Miley Cyrus's job.
"Yeah, and that was a strange audition. I just remember it lasting for all of like three seconds, probably because they knew they were just gonna cast it in America, so I felt like they were just wasting our time."
Recommended Reading:
Reflecting on all of this, she joked: "But yeah, what could have been, hey, if I'd landed any of those roles other than Tracy Beaker, [I] could have been in Emmerdale. [I] could have worked with Miley Cyrus.
"Or it could have been in My Parents Are Aliens, and not Tracy Beaker.
"By like, oh my gosh, I could have not been Tracy Beaker at all. Everything happens for a reason."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Race Across The World winners revealed as pair admit they failed to keep BBC show victory secret
IT was a tense sprint to the finish line in tonight's finale of Race Across The World. The final episode followed the pairs travelling from Goa, India, to the southernmost tip of India, Kanniyakumari, 1000km away. 3 The final four pairs were whittled down to one Credit: BBC 3 Caroline and Tom were crowned winners of the show Credit: BBC But after a 51-day cross-continent race, it was mother and son duo Caroline and Tom who took home the £20,000 prize. The pair, who were leading the race from its fifth episode earlier this month, beat brothers Melvyn and Brian, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia and young couple Fin and Sioned to the finish point. And it was an emotional moment for the duo, as mum Caroline broke down in tears on the big reveal that the all-important guest book was empty on their arrival. Celebrating their win, Caroline broke down in tears in emotional scenes, telling her son: 'We must never doubt ourselves, ever, ever, ever again.' Tom added: "I'm lost for words, I can't believe it. "Fifty one days racing through countries I never thought I'd go to. "I never thought we'd come this far, I never thought we'd achieve so much, and I've never been prouder of my mum – she got me through it.' Caroline and Tom were closely followed by sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, who arrived at the finish line just shy of 20 minutes later. Forty five minutes behind the winners, Fin and Sioned arrived in third place, while brothers Brian and Melvyn took a further three hours to reach the end. On their way home from the series, the duo revealed that while they had sworn themselves to secrecy about winning the cash, it didn't take long to spill the beans. Race Across The World pays heartbreaking tribute to show star Sam Gardiner after tragic death age 24 Caroline revealed: '[We told] my husband, in the car on the way home - we couldn't hide it!' Tom added: 'We had made a pact on the plane not to tell anybody, but within minutes of seeing him we let that one go, it was so hard to keep it in.' However, the mother and son duo still haven't decided what they're going to do with the cash. Tom concluded: "I haven't really thought about what I'm doing with the money yet. "I don't want to be stupid and waste it. Mum and I want to go backpacking again, so some of it will be used for that." The reunion episode of Race Across The World airs June 18 at 9pm on BBC One and you can catch up on all episodes on BBC iPlayer.


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Make your dad feel extra special this Father's Day by sending him a message in The Sun on Sunday
THIS Sunday is Father's Day and we want to know why YOUR dad is the greatest. So if you want to send your dad – or the father figure in your life - an extra special message this Father's Day, now you can with the help of The Sun on Sunday. 1 Email us in your messages of love and appreciation – and we'll print a selection of them in this Sunday's paper. You can tell him why he is the greatest, send him a poem or simply say how much you love him.


Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Who won Race Across the World today? BBC final recap
See which of the four teams managed to win Race Across the World series 5 🏃♂️ Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Race Across the World has crowned the winners for series 5. The winning pair walks away with the grand prize after the final leg. But which team made it to the last checkpoint first? The fifth winners of Race Across the World have been crowned after a rollercoaster final on the BBC. The remaining teams faced one last dash to reach the last checkpoint on a truly mammoth journey. After eight weeks - and around 14,000km - four pairs successfully completed the journey from the Great Wall of China to Kanyakumari in India. It is an incredible journey that has taken them across two of the most populous countries in the world - via Nepal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, all good things must come to an end, as they say. The final of Race Across the World's fifth series took place tonight (June 11) and just over seven hours separated the top three teams heading into the last leg. But which of the pairs managed to run out as victors at the end of the race? Here's all you need to know: Who won Race Across the World series 5? Race Across the World series 5 finalists | BBC Heading into the final leg of the mammoth race from China to the bottom of India, mother and son duo Caroline and Tom were in the lead. They reclaimed the top spot at the end of last week's seventh leg - as then-leaders Brian and Melvyn saw themselves tumble to the bottom of the leader board after opting for the rural route and avoiding Mumbai and falling 17 hours behind. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Caroline and Tom had a nearly seven hour lead over sisters Elizabeth and Letita. Young Welsh couple Fin and Sioned were ever so slightly further behind at seven hours and 48 minutes - having clawed back from a 33 hour deficit earlier in the season. It set things up for a dramatic final dash across the southern states of India. But who made it to Kanyakumari first? Caroline and Tom were the first to reach the last checkpoint and thus were crowned winners of Race Across the World series five. What does the winner of Race Across the World get? The winning couple walk away with a £20,000 jackpot - as well as bragging rights of course. It has been the same prize since the show began back in 2019. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fortunately for fans, the show is not completely over as there is still one episode left in the season. Race Across the World will be back next week (June 18) with a reunion special that will reunite the five teams six months after the end of the race. It promises unseen footage, behind-the-scenes insights and plenty more. Find out how to watch it here.