Emmerdale stars Ned Porteous and Olivia Bromley, who played on-screen couple Joe Tate and Dawn Taylor, were reportedly dating in real life while filming together, according to a source.
The pair's characters were due to marry in August, but their wedding was disrupted when Jimmy King's car smashed into the ceremony. Dawn later gave birth to their son but died in hospital, leaving Joe devastated and seeking vengeance.
On-screen chemistry extended off-screen
'The on-screen chemistry between Olivia and Ned was there for everyone to see, but what the viewers don't know is they were actually a real life couple off screen while acting out sex scenes,' the source told The Sun.
'It was easy for them to get away with it because they were working so closely together; a few people clocked what was going on and they both admitted that they were seeing where things go, but it's been a good few months now and they couldn't be happier.'
The source added: 'Ned has done a great job of playing the grieving fiancé, and it's easy to understand why now that his real life relationship with Olivia has come to light.'
Olivia Bromley on her exit
Olivia spoke exclusively to Metro upon her exit, confessing: 'I'm not going to lie, I'd have preferred her to stay alive!'
'I was so excited to go out and do other things and spread my wings, as an actor, after eight years, it's important to be able to embrace new challenges, I've felt.
'But I wouldn't have killed her off if it was my choice, I'd have loved to have been able to play her in the future, but this is the thing about being an actor; the producers make decisions, they've got this great story, and when we talked about it, I was like, 'Oh my goodness, it's so tragic!'
'But also, in a way, it's exciting because I knew when we were talking about the story that it means I can't come back – or can I? Who knows? I mean, Graham came back! Maybe I'll come back as Dawn's twin or something.
'But it also meant that I was like, 'Okay, this is a big bang exit, and it means that I can go out and embrace new challenges fully and not have that in the back of my mind.'
What's next for Joe Tate
Joe continues to target the Miligan family, forging an alliance with Sadie King (Patsy Kensit) in his scheme to annihilate them. Meanwhile, father figure Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) and step-grandma Kim Tate (Claire King) have hidden the baby in a secluded cottage to keep him away from Joe.
