NERVOUS STAR CONTESTANTS I’ll be a Dan of leisure
Emmerdale star says show will fund year off
LIKE all I’m A Celeb contestants, Emmerdale star Danny Miller has plenty of things worry about… but money will not be one of them.
Entering Gwrych Castle to take on the gruelling challenges is tough enough, but Danny faces even more pressure.
The 30-year-old became a dad for the first time just weeks ago and has also decided to quit Emmerdale after 13 years.
Danny – who plays Aaron Dingle in the ITV soap – this week took part in a group challenge alongside Louise Minchin, Naughty Boy and Snoochie Shy.
The actor was seen looking terrified before he had to ‘walk the plank’, 213ft above a quarry in Wales – but he is more concerned about what else is to come on the show.
Danny said: “I am absolutely dreading the eating trials. I fear I will gag.”
The main thing getting him through it all though is the fact that his I’m A Celeb payday is big enough to let him take a year off and spend time with his newborn son, Albert.
Danny gets very emotional when explaining why he left the ITV soap.
He said: “I still struggle to talk about it because it’s such a big part of my life, but it’s given me the opportunity to be able to do a show like this. I’ll for ever be in Emmerdale’s debt and
I’ll for ever be thankful to them and grateful.
“I’m looking forward to showing the world Danny
Miller, not just Aaron
Dingle. Emmerdale is like most soaps, working Monday to Friday 7am to
7pm, and I am finally having the opportunity to be a dad.
Dream
“I’ve always wanted to be a dad and now I’m blessed with Albert and Steph [Jones, his fiancée].” After I’m A Celeb, Danny plans to see what other work is out there but he is not worried about finding something straight away.
“The money the show gives you kind of means that if anything, I’ll have a year off – just me, Albert and Steph,” he said. “I’m going to do it because of the security it’ll give us in the future.”
Danny hopes I’m A Celeb will be a springboard to more success. He also hopes to shake off the ghost of Aaron and avoid being typecast as a soap star.
“A dream role would be somebody that’s opposite to Aaron,” he said. “Every actor’s dream is to play a tough, dark villain – completely away from Aaron, the lovely, loyal, beautiful soul that he is, that doesn’t smile much.”
ITV relaxed their usual quarantine rules ahead of I’m A Celeb so Danny was allowed to have Steph and Albert with him. But the actor admits being away from them during the show will be tough. Speaking as they prepared to leave ahead of the launch, Danny said: “I’ve been absolutely dreading it.
“I’ve been lucky they’ve been able to isolate with me for the full two weeks.
“I really only have one night away from them before I’m surrounded by other people so I’m very nervous – it’s making me freak out. It will be hard, but I’m doing it for them.”
Danny won’t be completely turning his back on the world of soap, though.
He admits he would return if his money runs out and said: “I’m lucky to have some very good friends at Emmerdale.
“I was very grateful they left the door open and I hope one day, I’ll rejoin them. But I want to grab this opportunity with both hands, and I’m ready to do that now.”
feedback@people.co.uk
I want to grab this chance …it’s for Steph
and Albert
A TERRIFIED dog walker ran for her spotting life after
a puma just miles
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she saw the big cat fle on Craig y while out
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line at the bottom started to come of the
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from head to tail, double the height
of my golden retr “I absolutely legged
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terrified it would chasing spot us and
us down.”
Pictures of big cat
prints at Gw Castle emerged earlier
In this yea
March, a spokesman admitted: “A paw
print was spotted in our woods.”