HAS DAVID FOUND HIS MRS RIGHT?

Matthew Wolfenden says his Emmerdale character deserves to find love after cancer and doomed marriages. But will he...

When Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden’s character David Metcal fe was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent chemotherapy, the actor threw himself into the plot by talking to those affected by the illness and even shaving off all his body hair.

Speaking ahead of what he hopes will be David’s happy ending when he gets the all-clear this week and plans to walk down the aisle with his fiancée Tracy Shankley (pictured), the Dales veteran says he feels prouder of this storyline than anything he’s done in his ten years on the show. ‘I’ve had incredible feedback from cancer sufferers, and from people who’ve checked themselves for testicular cancer after watching the show, which feels amazing,’ says Matthew, 36. ‘To get my teeth into a storyline that affects so many people, and to then get the thumbs up from people who’ve been through cancer, is humbling. It’s been the highlight of my time on Emmerdale.’

Matthew says that to make his portrayal feel authentic he retained some of the ‘daft’ behaviour David is famed for. ‘Our producer Iain MacLeod knew somebody who had recently been through cancer,’ he says. ‘He said that he was a funny lad and kept his sense of humour, so we wanted to retain the fun element of David’s character.’

Matthew also received help from an Emmerdale employee who’d beat- en cancer herself. ‘She’d say, “Don’t be too ill now because you’re going to get much more poorly!” She even brought in her diary, which showed how she felt immediately after chemo, then the day after, et cetera, which helped me gauge how I should be acting throughout the storyline. It was amazing to have her on set.’

It clearly worked, because Matthew says the public reaction has been overwhelming. ‘When David lost his hair, I received so many selfies via Twitter from people going through chemotherapy with their bald heads saying Emmerdale got it right.’

David’s been unlucky in love in the past, with multiple failed marriages and engagements. However, Matthew says the cancer has allowed a romance to flourish between him and Tracy, with his character constantly asking her to marry him, but Tracy worrying he only wanted to get hitched because he might not have long left. After David gets the all-clear this week they plan to walk down the aisle, but it’s a soap wedding so of course there’ll be some jeopardy. ‘Various things happen and David thinks she’s bottled it,’ teases Matthew. ‘But it’s very funny and I think viewers will enjoy it.’

Matthew, who trained in musical theatre before moving into TV, joined the soap in 2006 as the son of villain Eric Pollard. He’s now one half of an Emmerdale power couple with costar Charley Webb, with whom he has two young boys. She’s about to return to the show as Debbie Dingle following maternity leave.

Happy at work and at home, Matthew can see himself doing another ten years on Emmerdale. ‘If the producers want to keep me, and the audience enjoys watching me, then I happily could because I love it,’ he says. ‘I’ve always said, the moment I get up and don’t want to go to work, that’s when I’ll leave, but I can’t see that happening in the near future.’