Serena Sugden (Casey Al-Shaqsy) has been confirmed as a distant cousin of Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) in Emmerdale. The newcomer arrived last month, first seen discovering Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) by a lake. Charity had been spiralling after being sexually assaulted by Doctor Caitlin Todd (Caroline Harker). Serena helped Charity see that reporting Doctor Todd for blackmail could aid her conviction.
Serena's arrival in the village
After saying goodbye to Charity, Serena had directions for Emmerdale village on her phone. The next day she arrived and overheard Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) talking about Emmerdale Farm. With Robert's home address in mind, she headed there and let herself into Robert and Aaron Dingle's (Danny Miller) home. Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) caught her and was startled, but Serena introduced herself, saying Robert is her cousin.
Family tree details
Serena confirmed her granddad was Robert's dad's cousin. Later, on Instagram, Casey explained Serena is the great granddaughter of Edward Sugden. In the first Emmerdale episode in 1972, characters attended the funeral of Jacob Sugden, Edward's brother. Jacob was the father of Robert's dad, Jack Sugden, making Robert and Serena second cousins once removed, though they refer to each other as cousins.
Serena's secrets
Serena has faced challenges settling in, proving she isn't like John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth). After explaining herself to Robert and Aaron, they gave her another chance. However, it was later confirmed she broke into Home Farm and stole a USB stick from Kim Tate (Claire King). She is communicating with someone via text about her activities, but her motives remain unknown.
