Fans of Emmerdale will be stunned to learn that actress Natalie J Robb previously dated her co-star. The 51-year-old star is known for her roles as Gemma Clewes in EastEnders, Trish McDonald in the Scottish soap opera Take the High Road, and Jude Carlyle in Doctors. In 2009, she joined the cast of Emmerdale as Moira Dingle, who has been involved in several memorable storylines over the years.
This includes her affair with her now-husband, Cain (played by Jeff Hordley), the murder of Emma Barton (Gillian Kearney), an affair with Cain's long-lost son, Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter), and being diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumour. Earlier this year, Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) blackmailed Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) into planting illegal IDs at Butler's Farm, leading to Moira's wrongful imprisonment. She has since been released, and is in the process of starting her own farm with the Dingles, following Joe's takeover of Butler's.
That's not all, as Cain was also diagnosed with aggressive, yet localised, prostate cancer this year, with the family continuing to navigate his recovery from surgery. As Moira adjusts to her new life at Wishing Well cottage, some soap fans may be surprised to learn that actress Natalie previously dated one of her co-stars.
Natalie began dating Jonny McPherson, who plays Dr Liam Cavanagh in Emmerdale, back in July 2020. The pair moved in together during the first COVID-19 lockdown period, before quietly ending their relationship in early 2021. Speaking to The Sun, Natalie previously explained that the pandemic had complicated their romance. "Unfortunately, it was Covid times, so there was this added pressure. He moved in with me during the first lockdown and it was just too intense, too soon," she said. "And if you're not used to that, which I hadn't been for a while, we realised pretty quickly that we were better off as friends."
The star also revealed that she still gets on with her ex when they film together in Leeds. "We were doing a few scenes together the other day and it was lovely to see him," Natalie previously shared. "Our characters don't really have much to do with each other on screen, so it was nice working with him." The pair recently got to work together again as Moira and Liam navigated Cain's cancer diagnosis.
Following his split from Natalie, Jonny has since been in a "happy" relationship with his new girlfriend. Speaking to OK! Magazine, the actor previously shared: "I am with someone. She is absolutely wonderful. We've been together for a couple of years. I am really happy." Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
