Joe-Warren Plant has played Jacob Gallagher on Emmerdale for nearly two decades, but away from the Dales his life has included heartbreak and headlines. Born in Blackpool, Joe grew up in Poulton-le-Fylde with his mum, Steph, and his dad. He enrolled in the Scream Theatre School in Blackpool when he was just four years old.
In 2010, Joe landed the role of Jacob Gallagher on Emmerdale. He was introduced alongside his on-screen parents, Justin, portrayed by Andrew Langtree, and Alicia Gallagher, played by Natalie Anderson. He has been nominated for a British Soap Award in the Best Young Performance category three times, in 2014, 2019, and 2021.
Recent storyline drama
Recently, his character Jacob found that he and his wife Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) are not the biological parents of baby Leyla, sending shockwaves through the family. With the family dynamics fractured, the pair made a big life decision in Thursday’s episode (October 8): to move into Aaron Dingle’s (Danny Miller) farm.
Joe's split from his model ex
Joe was previously in a relationship with model Nicole Hadlow from 2017 until 2021. The pair were living together when Joe decided to move out of their shared home when he started training for Dancing on Ice.
Talking about the breakup at the time, Joe told The Sun: “Dancing on Ice has come at a good time for me physically and mentally. Relationships are hard to kind of deal with. It has helped to take my mind off of it slightly, having to focus and train all day every day. Even when you’re not training, and you’re at home, you’ve got to take the recovery aspect into terms. It’s helped taking my mind off it, but things are still tough to be fair.”
Dancing on Ice co-star rumours
Joe-Warren was also linked to his Dancing on Ice partner Vanessa Bauer in 2021 - something he denied. He told Metro and other press at the time: “Dancing on Ice is about telling a story to engage with the audience and the judges. You have to have a certain level of chemistry between you and your partner. So I think everybody’s just kind of saw that we’re getting on so well and automatically assumed that something was going on. But there isn’t. We’re just dedicated to the show.”
Unfortunately, Joe and Vanessa were forced to pull out of the show in week four, after they both tested positive for coronavirus.
Who is Joe dating now?
Joe-Warren went public with his new girlfriend, Isabella, in January 2025. Going from strength to strength, Joe-Warren and Isabella have since enjoyed several sun-soaked holidays together. Last year, they headed to Barcelona and documented their trip with several loved-up photos.
Joe on his mum's sad death
Sadly, Joe’s mum died from liver complications aged 47 in 2022. Speaking to the Mirror previously, Joe said he ‘owed everything’ to his parents. “They encouraged me to join a theatre school near our home in Blackpool when I was four to boost my confidence. They then pushed me to take up this role. They couldn’t have been more supportive, and I don’t feel I’ve missed out at all. I am a normal person with a different job!” he said.
What’s more, talking about his mum’s death and knowing how proud she would have been of him, he added: "Mum was so supportive and such an amazing person. I miss her a lot." Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
