Joshua Richards, who plays the beloved Bear Wolf on Emmerdale, leads a far less dramatic life away from the ITV soap with his wife of over 30 years, Sarah Parks. Sarah is a familiar face on television, having appeared in Coronation Street and other shows.
Joshua Richards' Role as Bear Wolf
Joshua joined Emmerdale in 2019 as Bear Wolf, the father of Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt). The former wrestler quickly became a fan favourite. He has been involved in major storylines, including the recent murder of Ray Walters (Joe Absolom). Bear killed Ray to protect his son Paddy and Dylan (Fred Kettle), with Paddy and Dylan later helping cover up the crime. However, Paddy confessed, leading to charges of perverting the course of justice for all three.
Sarah Parks' Acting Career
Sarah Parks is no stranger to TV. She played barrister and later judge Hilary Browning in Emmerdale from 2001 to 2005. On Coronation Street, she appeared in 11 episodes as various characters. In 1998, she played a midwife. Between July and August 2021, she portrayed DS Pullen, investigating the false imprisonment of Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien). She returned in January 2004 as council planning officer Andrea Chaplin, and in 2007 as Linda, whose husband had an affair with Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard). Her other credits include The Bill, Shameless, Meet the Richardsons, Fat Friends, My Parents Are Aliens, and Scott & Bailey.
A Private Life in Halifax
Joshua and Sarah live in Halifax, West Yorkshire, keeping their relationship private. However, Joshua has spoken about Sarah's support. In 2025, he credited her for his health transformation, dropping from 17.5 stone to 13.5 stone. He said: "My health wasn't too good. I was tucking into all the wrong meals from Emmerdale catering like lasagne and chips. We read a book by Dr Meghan Rossi called Eat More Live Well - and that really helped me lose the weight. I ate more vegetables, more fibre and looked after my gut health."
Joshua also told The Mirror: "She has played a judge in Emmerdale before. I thought it would be her who would bag a long-term role on a soap, not me. In the end, I ended up being on Emmerdale and she is the one who supports me. I was only supposed to be in the soap for six months, but I’m now in my eighth year and it’s flown by. I love being in Emmerdale. It’s the best job in the world."
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
