Desperately seeking Adam

Victoria Barton will stop at nothing to track down her estranged husband, says Emmerdale’s Isabel Hodgins

Emmerdale’s Victoria Barton is risking everything to find her estranged husband, Adam. She’s sacrificing her money, risking the relationships of those close to her, and even her safety.

Victoria is stunned and furious to learn that Adam – who went on the run accused of murdering Emma Barton – was innocent and had covered up for his mum, Moira.

According to Isabel Hodgins, the actress who plays Victoria, the Woolpack cook is on a mission to find Adam at all costs. ‘Victoria’s a woman obsessed with finding her husband, because she never wanted the marriage to end,’ she says.

In her search for Adam, Victoria will grill her brother Robert Sugden and Robert’s husband Aaron Dingle, who is Adam’s best friend.

Aaron was contacted by Adam from Budapest, but believes he’s protecting Victoria by telling her he knows nothing. This leads her to hire a detective called Glen.

As Victoria transfers the first payment to Glen, he warns her that finding Adam will be expensive. He then tells her he’s received intelligence that Adam’s in Portugal, but tracking him down will cost a further £5,000. Victoria will raid her savings and sell her late mum’s wedding ring to raise the cash. ‘While Victoria thinks £ 5,000 is a lot of money, at this point she’d sell a kidney if it means she finds Adam,’ says Isabel.

Her desperation is a huge concern to her friend and current love interest Matty. He now knows from Aaron that Adam isn’t in Portugal and slips the £5,000 to pay Glen out of her bag without her noticing. But Matty’s actions could have devastating consequences for Victoria when she goes to see Glen without any cash, and Matty,

Robert and Aaron are frantic when they can’t track her down. ‘They’ll be left fearing that she could be in serious danger,’ says Isabel.

Whether or not Victoria survives, and ever locates Adam, Isabel says she can’t see Adam – played by Adam Thomas for nine years until the start of the year – returning to The Dales for a while yet. ‘I’d love Adam to come back; we’ll be friends for life. But do I think he’ll come back? Not any time soon. He wants to give life outside the Emmerdale

bubble a chance, which could take a year, or ten, who knows.’

Isabel, 24, who has been in Emmerdale for 12 years having joined aged 12, has no desire to follow her co-star out of the door. ‘With Emmerdale being such a long- standing soap, there’s the potential for it to be a job for life. I’d be happy with that,’ she says. ‘Emmerdale will always be the best place to work; I love the cast and crew, I’ve got great friends here and I’m fortunate to be a part of it.’