Emmerdale stays silent over Aaron Anthony exit claims (original) (raw)
Emmerdale has declined to comment on claims that actor Aaron Anthony is leaving the soap.
The Sun writes that Anthony, who has played Ellis Chapman since 2019, has decided to quit the show at the end of his current contract following reports of a racism complaint on set, which was first reported last month.
The publication claims that Anthony made the decision after feeling "angry" about the alleged incident, which saw a mixed-race actress being upset by an "inappropriate comment" made on set in October. Her accent was also reportedly mimicked.
ITV
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Actors Matthew Wolfenden, who plays David Metcalfe, and Isabel Hodgins, who plays Victoria Barton, have both been absent from filming since the allegations were made. Neither actor has publicly addressed the report but The Sun previously wrote that they have categorically denied all allegations.
Wolfenden was recently pictured by a fan outside the studios but Emmerdale has declined to comment on this as well.
ITV has not commented on the report about Anthony's exit, and Digital Spy has reached out to personal representatives for the star for further clarification.
Following the reports of the racism complaint, an Emmerdale spokesperson previously told Digital Spy: "While we would never comment on individual cases, Emmerdale has robust policies in place to deal with any allegations brought to our attention and take the appropriate steps."
ITV
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Anthony took over the role of Ellis from previous actor Asan N'Jie and has been involved in some major storylines during his time on the soap.
He is currently trying to support his on-off love interest Priya Kotecha (Fiona Wade) after she sustained serious burns in the maize maze fire during adventure week, while he continues to have a strained relationship with his father, Al Chapman (Michael Wildman).
Fiona recently spoke to Digital Spy about Ellis and Priya's potential future, saying: "I think there's genuine feelings there, it's just everything keeps getting in the way for them, which is really sad.
"I always say, this is a soap, so I don't know whether there ever are any happy-ever-afters, but of course, I love working with Aaron Anthony, who is brilliant. It would be great if Priya was happy and found love again and it lasted, but who knows?"
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.