Exclusive Dales photo shoot!

They may be basking in the glow of Emmerdale's recent awards success, but the show's stars promise that more drama lies ahead...

Michelle HARDWICK Vanessa Woodfield

With the demise of ‘Robron’ last year, ‘Vanity’ – aka Vanessa and Charity – have become the undisputed fan favourite couple in Emmerdale. With viewers so invested in their relationship and rooting for them to live happily ever after, star Michelle Hardwick – who plays Vanessa – finds herself with a lot of messages to answer on social media!

“You can’t reply to everyone,” she admits. “The people I have tended to respond to are the ones where it’s been more about their sexuality, and they’ve come out to their parents – I reply to tell them I’m proud of them!

“It’s not just my character people relate to, though, as I’ve been quite open about my sexuality in real life too,” adds Michelle. “It’s great for people to have positive role models, because when I was young and wanted to come out, there wasn’t anyone for me to look up to.”

Vanessa and Charity’s relationship has certainly done a lot to inspire the

Emmerdale audience. And while the pair are about to face some huge hurdles in their relationship, Michelle reckons they have what it takes to go the distance…

What was the viewers’ reaction to Charity and Vanessa’s failed wedding?

People thought it was great that we had a surprise preparation for a wedding, and we saw the lovely scene in the bandstand, of them telling each other how much they loved one another. It didn’t go ahead, but it hasn’t broken them up. And viewers are now looking forward to maybe having a proper wedding somewhere down the line. I don’t know whether that will happen or not, although the reaction was all positive.

Vanessa and Charity have this big, blended family now – what’s that been like for you to play?

It’s been fun! I love it when I get a script and there’s a morning scene, and it’s chaos at breakfast – you have kids looking for their bus pass and trying to find their homework, or lost items of clothing. It’s a wonderful chaos that’s very normal. It’s just everyday life without any particular drama, and I really love that.

Do you think Emmerdale viewers relate to that family set-up?

Yeah, the message we get is that they enjoy the realness of it. What’s great is that it’s two women being mums to all these kids, and it just works – nobody is batting an eyelid. Nothing changes if it’s two women, two men, or a man and a woman. The same rubbish is going on!

Do you personally think Charity is the right person for Vanessa?

I do, actually. They’ve been together for quite a while now, and it’s an eternity by

Emmerdale standards! They’re so different, and I think that’s the key. Vanessa keeps Charity on her toes – and Charity certainly keeps Vanessa on her toes, too!

What are your hopes for Vanessa’s future in Emmerdale village?

I’d love to see her continue to be happy. I’m also interested to find out more about Vanessa’s mum. I’ve been on the show for seven years now, and we still don’t know much about her. So I’d love to explore that – does Vanessa have any other siblings out there? She doesn’t have a great relationship with her mum, but she does visit her.

Is there anyone in particular you’d like to play Ma Woodfield?

A lot of people say, “Oh gosh, we’d love to see Vanessa’s mum – who would it be?” There’s been a few suggestions – some people have said that Susie Blake [formerly

Corrie’s Bev Unwin] would be good.

What are you most excited for in 2020?

This is my first year of being Mrs Brooks [Vanessa wed Dales producer Kate last September], and we’re loving being married! We’re doing up our house right now, and we’ll probably go away somewhere for our anniversary, but it will have to be in the UK so we can take our little dog, Fred!

Jurell CARTER Nate Robinson

One of the biggest Dales shockers of past year was the revelation that Nate was actually Cain’s long-lost son – and had been sleeping with his wife Moira as an act of revenge for his dad’s abandonment! Since that bombshell dropped, Nate has been desperately trying to make things up with his family, with little success so far – but actor Jurell tells us that viewers are finally starting to soften towards his alter ego after a rocky start…

“Even my mum was telling me to leave Moria alone because she’s a big

Emmerdale fan!” chuckles the star. “I was getting the same from a lot of the fans.

“However, now I think people are softening towards Nate, because they can see exactly why he’s done what he’s done,” adds Jurell. “Obviously there’s no forgiving the way he went about things, although it’s nice that I’m getting some different reactions from people.”

With Cain still giving Nate the cold shoulder this week, it doesn’t look as if there will be a thawing in their frosty relationship any time soon. But Jurell hopes the pair can forge a father-son relationship at some point…

Nate certainly has the viewers riled up! However, what’s it been like for you playing him?

Nate’s a very complex character – when he first came to the village, he had a very conniving, sneaky and malicious side. Then at the end of it, you saw why he was like that. But now that he’s trying to redeem himself and reconcile with the Dingles, he’s taking a different approach to things. I’m playing his more vulnerable and loving side – that’s been nice for me.

Your mum must be happier…

She loves me being in Emmerdale! My dad wasn’t really a fan – but he’s become one now that I’m in it! Neither of them really liked what they saw with Nate at first, in terms of the affair with Moira. I don’t think any parents would like seeing their son getting intimate with someone on TV!

Are you getting used to being recognised by Emmerdale fans now?

It still takes me by surprise – I forget that

Emmerdale is so huge to people! People do recognise me when I’m out shopping and things like that. But it’s nice, as no one is rude to me, they’re just very nice people.

We’ve learned a bit more about Nate with the recent arrival of star Carryl Thomas as Nate’s mum, Cara…

It’s been amazing to work with Carryl – she’s such a great actress. It adds another layer to Nate’s backstory as well, so that’s been interesting for me. He’s been lied to all of his life, so it’s been good to find out his mum’s side of the story.

Do you think there’s any hope of Nate and Cain having a proper relationship?

I think there is. But in real life, given everything that Nate has done, it’d take a long time for them to reconcile. Hopefully in the future there will be redemption for Nate. I’d love to see Cain and Nate team up and take on other bad guys together! And it would be amazing to work with Jeff [Hordley, aka Cain] in more depth as well.

Can you give us any hints about what’s coming up for Nate?

With Pete gone, Nate’s alone up at Wylie’s Farm, and he’ll need help. We’ll see in the coming weeks that the help comes from an unlikely source! There’s also romance on the horizon for Nate and Tracy – they had a one-night stand before, but it’s different now as feelings are involved. I think they could be a good match.

There are lots of big soap birthdays this year, and Emmerdale turns 50 in 2022. Would you like to still be in the show then?

Of course – it’s really nice to be a part of something that’s been going for so long. And it’s clearly loved by the viewers if it’s still here after nearly 50 years!

Olivia BROMLEY Dawn Taylor

It’s been over two years since Dawn first appeared on our screens, a down-on-her-luck junkie roped into Ross Barton’s schemes. Back then, Dawn was only planned to be in the show for a few episodes, but producers saw potential in this rough-diamond character – and actress Olivia Bromley, who plays her. Flash forward to 2020, and Dawn’s now a fixture, with a family around her and big drama on the way.

“It’s been a lovely journey for me, as there was no expectation that Dawn would stay,” grins Olivia. “But she’s just grown, and the writers have given her really good, juicy storylines. She’s quite a complicated character, which I’ve really loved playing. And there’s lots more exciting stuff to come…”

These days, Dawn is unrecognisable from the girl we first met – she has her act together, has a great support network, and is heading towards regaining custody of her son, Lucas. But as Olivia hints, it may not be plain sailing for her alter ego.

Dawn is in a really positive place right now – is that nice for you? Or do you prefer playing the drama?

It has been refreshing to see her smiling recently, actually! But it is fun doing the dramatic stuff. Dawn’s great to play, because she doesn’t always make the right decisions. What’s nice is that, from the beginning, her story has been about getting her son back – and now she’s so close to having full contact with him.

What’s it like filming the scenes with Dawn and little Lucas?

He’s called Dexter in real life, and he’s adorable! He’s a natural actor, and very easy to work with. We get on really well, I love those scenes. And I think that he’s enjoying it, as he gets to miss school!

Are you enjoying seeing a whole different side to Dawn?

It’s been really nice to see her as a mother. She’s not necessarily a natural mum – she has all this love for her little boy, but she doesn’t know how to look after him. It’ll be interesting to see the struggle of her getting her son back, if she does, as it’s not going to be happy families, is it? Lucas has had foster parents who, in Dawn’s eyes, are proper parents with money and everything. She doesn’t have that.

Do you think Billy will stick by Dawn?

He’s been supportive so far, and he cares for her, which means the world to Dawn. They’re both flawed people with difficult pasts, so it’s nice that they want the best for each other. I hope it stays that way – but this is Emmerdale, so it probably won’t!

How has your life changed since joining the show?

Oh, it’s changed loads! It’s nice for me to be able to play a character for this amount of time. This is my first experience of doing TV, so just getting to know how the machine of a soap works, the speed of things, has really taught me a lot. I also like working with the same people every day – it’s such a family feeling.

You look very different from Dawn in real life! Do people recognise you?

Sometimes, but not loads. I like it when people come up and say hello – I think it’s lovely. Everyone is so supportive of Dawn as a character, because she’s a bit of an underdog, and people like that. She isn’t perfect, but her heart’s in the right place.

Would you be mates with Dawn?

Yeah, I love Dawn! I think she’s funny, and she’ll always stick up for herself. I maybe wouldn’t go out drinking with her, as you don’t know where it’d lead – but it’s important to like your character.

What are you personally looking forward to this year?

I’m excited to spend more time in Yorkshire. I’m commuting from London right now, so I’m looking for somewhere to live in Leeds. I love it!