Emmerdale fans may recognise the actress playing Ruby's mum Helen amid twist (original) (raw)

Where Emmerdale fans have seen actress playing Ruby's mum Helen before amid ITV soap twist

Emmerdale is set to welcome Ruby Fox-Milligan's estranged mother Helen Fox and the character is played by veteran actor Sharon Maughan, who is no stranger to roles on TV

Sharon Maughan and her husband Trevor Eve at an event together.

Sharon Maughan, pictured with her husband Trevor Eve, has joined the cast of Emmerdale for a short stint

Soap Emmerdale is about to welcome a new character Helen Fox, played by actress Sharon Maughan.

Helen is the estranged mother of Ruby Fox-Milligan (played by Beth Cordingly). She's been absent from her life for three decades and details of Ruby and husband Caleb Miligan's (William Ash) relationship are set to be unveiled.

In upcoming episodes, Caleb will be called to his wealthy mother-in-law's hospital bedside where she discloses that she's terminally ill and desires to see her daughter once more. Caleb consents to organise a reunion, but only if Helen forks out £100k - with viewers having to wait to find out if she agrees to it.

Ruby made her entrance into the village earlier this year as Caleb's distant wife and the mother of their son Nicky, as reported by the Express. Caleb and Nicky have been residents for a few years, arriving at Christmas 2022 with a scheme to con Kim Tate (Claire King) out of Home Farm, as noted by the Manchester Evening News.

It was later disclosed that Caleb is the son of Kim's ex-husband Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) and Faith Dingle (Sally Dexter), making him the estranged half-brother of Cain (Jeff Hordley) and Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter).

It's teased that as Helen rekindles her connection with Caleb in the forthcoming scenes, secrets will be unearthed. Cast member William revealed that Helen and her husband disowned Ruby due to their disapproval of her relationship with Caleb.

Sharon Maughan has joined the cast of Emmerdale as the character Helen Fox (

Image:

Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Fans may recognise her from previous roles including as Tricia Williams on Holby City. (

Image:

LiverpoolEcho / BBC)

The actor revealed to The Express.co.uk and other outlets: "They hated him because he'd come out of a care home, he didn't have any family and thought he was beneath their daughter."

He said the tension between them and Helen stemmed from her prejudice: "So, Helen was really snobby and judgemental. Helen and Ruby's dad gave Ruby an ultimatum. They basically said 'look if you want to be with this boy then we don't want anything to do with you'. They basically just cut Ruby dead."

Will explained Caleb's lingering distrust of Helen, saying: "Because she's been so manipulative and behaved terribly in the past, he just doesn't trust anything that she'd ever say." Nevertheless, Caleb agrees to meet with Helen, with Will sharing: "He decides to go just to see what she actually wants because if she is on her deathbed, then maybe Ruby does need some kind of closure and there's a potential for sorting it out. As it turns out, that's not what happens..."

Regarding working with Sharon, who plays Helen, Will praised her talent: "She is an amazing actress because she only comes in for two episodes. We only had a day of filming. We were doing all these intense scenes together in a hospital room, in a private hospital, just me and her going at each other really. She was amazing. It is hard to come into any show, to just do one day, and have lots of intense scenes. But she was fantastic and really a force of nature really."

Sharon, pictured with co-stars Anthony Head, is also known for having appeared in TV adverts for Nescafé Gold Blend (

Image:

Gold Blend / Nescafé)

Sharon, a veteran actress known for her memorable Nescafé Gold Blend TV adverts in the 80s and 90s, has joined the cast of ITV's soap opera for a limited stint. The 74 year old star has an impressive acting portfolio, with standout roles including Kate in the Enigma Files (1980), Anna in By the Sword Divided (1983-1985), and Tricia Williams in Holby City (2003- 2006).

Her extensive career also features appearances in Inspector Morse, Cinderella, Heartbeat, Casualty, Waking the Dead, and Rain Stops Play, among others. Beyond her acting talents, Sharon is also a director, producer, and entrepreneur. After experiencing health problems in 2009 due to salicylic overload, she launched her own skincare brand, FaceWise.

Away from the spotlight, Sharon is married to actor Trevor Eve, recognised for his roles in Dracula, the Interceptor, Unforgotten, Waking the Dead, David Copperfield, Shadow Chasers, and more. The pair are parents to three children: actress Alice Eve, actor and producer Jack Eve, and musician George Eve.

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