Ryan Hawley, who plays Robert Sugden in Emmerdale, celebrated his 41st birthday in September. His milestone birthday last year left fans 'floored'.
Ryan joined the ITV drama as Robert Sugden in 2014 and quickly stirred up trouble in the village. The beloved character has been central to numerous major plotlines, including his adored relationship with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller).
Robert's return and recent storylines
Robert departed the Dales in 2019 after being imprisoned for killing Lee Posner (Kris Mochrie), who had assaulted his sister Victoria (Isabel Hodgins). Following a six-year absence, Robert returned last year during Aaron's wedding to murderer John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) and revealed he had married Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) in prison.
Most recently, Robert has stolen Jimmy King's (Nick Miles) money after his sudden death and bought The Hide from a vulnerable Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham).
Fans react to Ryan's age
On an Emmerdale Facebook fan group, someone honoured Ryan on his special day and posted: "Happy 40th birthday to Ryan Hawley who plays Robert Sugden." Viewers expressed their amazement at Ryan's age, with one fan commenting: "Looks a lot younger", while another remarked: "Never I'd have said 20 it's in the genes". A third exclaimed: "Wow he doesn't look 40."
Ryan previously admitted he cancelled his 40th birthday celebrations because of filming the Corriedale special, which aired in January. Speaking about filming the explosive crossover, he explained: "Well, actually, it was my 40th birthday, and I cancelled it."
"So, because they said, you know, there's that (the crossover), I was like, well, yeah, I kind of want to be part of that."
"After having seen it, I'm immensely proud, not just to be part of it, but to be part of an incredible cast, who I thought every single person was just incredible. And it's amazing what we can do. I'm really proud. Wow."
Who is Ryan Hawley's wife?
Ryan is married to Daisy Prestes de Oliveira, with the couple tying the knot in 2013. The pair share two sons, born in 2021 and 2023, and are very private about their family life. Ryan admitted they had been living abroad between 2023 and 2024 and had moved back to the UK so he could return to Emmerdale.
He told the Mirror in 2025: "Recently, while I was living in Brazil with my family, where we had been for the past year, Danny (Miller) texted to see how I would feel."
"We've always kept in touch, and after a lot of thought, I told him, 'Yeah, I am up for it'. I then got a call swiftly from the producers, and it went from there," he added.
Ryan added that he has now moved back to the UK permanently to be in the soap. "The timing felt right for us to not only move back to Britain, but also for me to come back to Emmerdale."
"Enough time has passed, and with this big wedding storyline, it is the right time for Robert to cause chaos and huge drama!"
Away from Emmerdale, Ryan has also starred as Sid Crabtree in All Creatures Great and Small, Jamie Cleveland in Casualty, Michael Robson in Silent Witness, and John Van Ert in Father Brown. Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX.
