Downton Abbey final episode: The happiness of Lady Edith
MILLIONS of viewers set to tune in for the spectacular Downton finale on Christmas Day could be in for a big surprise.
Lady Edith's search for happiness in Dowton Abbey comes to an end
As the hit drama comes to an end, actress Laura Carmichael, 29, revealed her character Lady Edith may not need a man after all.
The special festive episode of the award-winning drama will bring an end to the show after six series.
Fans worldwide are desperate to see Lady Edith happy after an appalling run with men.
Last month viewers watched in horror as her fiance Bertie left when he found out she had an illegitimate child.
Another man jilted her at the altar, while another appeared to leave her for his wife.
Fans wept when Bertie, played by Harry Hadden-Paton, left fiancé Lady Edith
Who is to say that a husband constitutes a happy ending?
However, in an interview published yesterday Laura said: “Who is to say that a husband constitutes a happy ending? What is so fabulous about Edith is that she hasn’t just stayed at home moping. She’s made of sterner stuff.”
Some fans were left furious after Lady Edith’s cruel sister Mary waltzed off with a husband.
But Laura explained: “At the outset Edith was desperate for marriage and a quiet life as someone’s wife, but when that failed she forged her own path.
“She can drive, she took a job in the war, she’s a single mother and a woman publisher in a man’s world: all in all a thoroughly modern role model.”
Carmichael has seen her career go global thanks to the popular show
Meanwhile the actress who plays her has seen her career go global thanks to the popular show.
This is despite a couple of “really tough years” when she first left Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
She resorted to temp work before finally being picked for Downton, which has since earned 12 Emmys, three Baftas and three Golden Globes.
Laura is due to start filming A United Kingdom, a drama based on the true story of Seretse Khama, a member of the royal family in the British colony that would one day become Botswana.
She is also set to star in a new ITV drama with Anna Friel called Marcella.