William Ash, the Emmerdale star who's lighting up screens as Caleb, has dropped some major hints about the dark past of newcomer Steph and spilled the beans on the growing Milligan clan over at ITV's hit soap.
There's drama brewing in the village as Ruby, played by the talented Beth Cordingly, and her on-screen hubby Caleb have a shocker of a reunion with their long-lost daughter Stephanie (Georgia Jay) it's their first encounter in a decade.
Following the death of Helen Fox (Sharon Maughan), Emmerdale is prepping for fireworks with Stephanie's entrance and she's not flying solo either as Ruby's dad Anthony (Nicholas Day) will also be in tow hinting at a family showdown.
Sassy, self-sufficient, and a tad too quick on the draw, Steph's in her prime and carries a decade-long radio silence with mum and dad. Having snapped up traits from both ends, her unchecked dreams echo their self-infatuated ways.
But the burning question remains: why did Steph go AWOL from her parents?
Actor William Ash told the Daily Star all about Steph's rebellious days and the painful decisions that led to a chasm between her and the parents, reports Leicestershire Live.
William, 43, doesn't hold back, dishing that Ruby herself got cut off when she fell pregnant and why Steph got kicked out of their family home as a teenager.
He said: "The story is, we sent Steph away basically that is what happened. She was a really difficult child when she was 13/14, so we sent her off to boarding school to straighten her our almost, it was quite a brutal thing to do."
William adds: "Steph felt really torn from them, she felt abandoned as well. Quite interestingly Nicky didn't go off to boarding school, but she was getting in a lot of trouble.
"She had stolen a car, and was just really difficult. Ruby and Steph were clashing and it was Ruby that instigated it."
Opening up about her character's family drama, actress Georgia revealed how Steph is dealing with coming back into the fold.
The soap's newest star said: "When she does come back it's that feeling of resentment for the abandonment. She never felt loved, so she feels hurt and she's not prepared to let that go.
"You can see she was more of a daddy's girl anyway, growing up being quite similar to Ruby the clash was there."
Georgia added: "Naturally, Caleb and Steph had a good relationship, I think when she went to boarding school it was more a decision for Ruby."
Will Caleb and Steph patch things up after years of distance? For those answers, Emmerdale fans will just have to hang tight!
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm.
If you love your soaps pick up Love TV's Best of British Soaps, packed with all your favourite characters and storylines. As well as interviews and quizzes. Click here to buy or it's on sale at participating retailers.
English (US) ·