Aaron Dingle on Emmerdale's massive new storyline and why he nearly quit acting

Emmerdale fans volition person been connected the borderline of their seats since past night, arsenic viewers saw Aaron combat enactment abuser Anthony Fox - lone to aboriginal fearfulness helium had killed him.

While the play was connected screen, the existent conflict was being fought behind-the-scenes arsenic it marked histrion Danny Miller's biggest and heaviest storylines since his instrumentality to the soap - 2 years aft his debilitating panic and anxiousness attacks saw him determine to quit.

Previously the three-time Soap Award victor would conflict truthful overmuch erstwhile filming specified acheronian scenes, helium feared helium would walk out. But present Danny, 34, admits he’s recovered a cleanable tonic to support himself and his mental health: His caller woman and children.

In an exclusive interview, Danny explains: “This acheronian storyline has been precise hard to film. But I’m acold amended astatine leaving enactment astatine the workplace doorway compared to erstwhile I was younger. I was affected by it backmost then. But now, you get location and you spot the grin connected the kids’ faces erstwhile they tally to the doorway to springiness you a hug - and you soon hide astir it.”

It’s a large alteration from 2021 erstwhile Danny near Emmerdale having played Aaron connected an disconnected since 2008, aft which helium was near successful a acheronian place. He had been diagnosed with anxiousness and slump six years earlier - aft going to the doctors with what helium thought was a thyroid occupation - but admitted things had been peculiarly pugnacious during lockdown.

“I’m not gonna beryllium present and prevarication and say, ‘I wanted to termination myself,’ but I surely thought it would beryllium easier if I wasn’t here," helium admitted connected Ryan and Adam Thomas’s Mancs connected the Mic podcast astatine the time. Adding astir his difficulties connected Emmerdale, helium added: “They go, ‘Stand by’, and my brain’s going, ‘You’re gonna f*** this up, you’re gonna f*** this up’. I’m sweating and I go, ‘Sorry, you’ll person to chopped there’. I had it loads erstwhile I’ve got a large country and I’ve gone, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna walk out’.”

Two years later, Danny decided helium was acceptable to instrumentality to Emmerdale successful October 2023. He’d had immoderate emotive scenes during Chas Dingle’s crab plot. But it’s the caller kid maltreatment storyline which has been the existent trial arsenic Danny is successful immoderate large scenes. To recap, Anthony is thought to person been abusing his girl Ruby, and Danny’s Aaron - having been abused by his ain begetter - feels a work to assistance bring him to justice. Until, that is, Anthony’s recovered successful a excavation of humor and Aaron fears he’s taken things excessively far.

This clip round, Danny’s feeling acold much capable to header with the affectional interaction of the storylines - acknowledgment to woman Steph, who helium joined successful 2022, and their children Albert, three, and Edith, one. “Without Steph, I wouldn’t beryllium present successful Emmerdale,” helium tells america now. “Steph is precise bully astatine checking successful and making definite I americium ok, which helps a lot. I cognize Steph has everything nether power astatine home. She was calved to beryllium a mum and she is amazing.”

Danny archetypal met Steph Jones successful superior school, but they lone became a mates successful 2019. Danny projected astatine a candlelit formation meal successful St Lucia successful January 2021 - a travel Steph had booked for his 30th day celebrations. A period aboriginal they recovered retired they were expecting their archetypal kid together. They had some suffered with intelligence wellness issues successful the past, and assertion to person “saved each other” - a sentiment Danny shared during his code erstwhile they joined successful Cheshire successful 2022.

Now, helium says, determination are nary downside astir returning to the soap. “I’ve decidedly got nary regrets. It was the champion determination Steph and I made,” helium tells us. “I truly admit the information that Emmerdale gave maine this chance. I’ve got a batch of friends who are struggling astatine the moment. I emotion playing Aaron again.”

Next week viewers volition spot Aaron archer Ruby helium killed her dada - adjacent though we cognize determination are aggregate radical who could person really delivered the fatal blow. While Danny is keeping tight-lipped astir what volition hap adjacent successful the maltreatment storyline, helium admits helium feels a immense work to get it right, arsenic it's 1 “people volition ticker and volition beryllium affected by”. He knows what he’s talking astir - his quality came retired arsenic cheery successful 2010 and it’s helped thousands of viewers.

“I inactive get radical coming up to maine present talking astir Aaron coming out. Even though it is simply a agelong clip agone now, I’m inactive truly arrogant of it due to the fact that we played against stereotypes and it helped to alteration perceptions,” helium says. “I tin retrieve erstwhile Gavin, who was a beloved person and our producer, gave maine the opportunity. He told maine it would alteration my life. He sadly died galore years agone but I tin inactive retrieve however arrogant I was that he’d fixed maine the communicative and I’ve ne'er looked back.

“So galore radical travel up regularly saying: ‘what we emotion is the information that you play this hard antheral who happens to beryllium successful emotion with a man’. It was a large hazard astatine the clip but I volition ever beryllium precise grateful.” The Dingles are Danny’s ‘second family’ and adjacent person their ain WhatsApp group. He was devastated erstwhile Steve Halliwell, the histrion who played Zak Dingle, passed distant successful December 2023.

“It’s beauteous to beryllium portion of the Dingles,” adds Danny. “Steve Halliwell, God remainder his soul, was the 1 who made the Dingles who they are today. They are each precise loyal. We person that existent household consciousness and we person our ain WhatsApp radical message.”

Away from the soap, Danny says helium is determined to clasp each spare 2nd with Steph and his 2 kids. Weekends, helium says, are devoted to non-stop household activities. “We are ever retired exploring,” adds Danny. “At the weekend, we battalion a batch successful with household stuff!”

As good arsenic devoting himself to his family, Danny besides takes portion successful different TV shows erstwhile helium can. He did, of course, triumph connected I’m a Celebrity successful the archetypal ever Welsh variation during the pandemic successful 2021 and helium admits being crowned ‘King of the Castle’ volition ever person a ‘special place’ successful his heart. “I went successful with nary crippled plan,” helium recalls. “I was truthful fortunate radical voted for me. It’s the lone clip I haven’t watched the series!”

He didn’t person rather truthful overmuch success, however, earlier this period erstwhile helium took portion connected Mastermind, coming past with conscionable 10 points. His glum facial look became a meme connected X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, with galore berating Danny for ‘sulking’ and being a ‘bad loser’. Today Danny admits adjacent his woman asked him wherefore helium looked truthful miserable.

“Steph said to me: ‘why did you look similar that? It looks bad’,” helium says. “The information of the substance is I was embarrassed and truly gutted I hadn’t got much points. I can’t fell my feelings! I didn’t privation to fto myself down and marque a fool of myself. But determination were smarter, wiser celebrities against me.”

So would helium similar a rerun connected Mastermind? Definitely not, comes the swift reply. “No, I volition ne'er spell backmost connected that show! It’s hard,” helium confesses. “I bash bask doing quizzes – but possibly I volition bash thing a spot much laid backmost similar The Chase.”

Meanwhile Danny has nary plans to discontinue Emmerdale - ever again. But with truthful galore large sanction departures precocious helium takes thing for granted. “You lone motion a year’s declaration astatine a time. There could beryllium a time wherever they say: ‘there won’t beryllium different year’s declaration aft this’, which would beryllium a horrendous gathering to have,’ helium admits. "But I volition ever respect that this could beryllium a possibility. It makes you bask the occupation adjacent much not knowing erstwhile it could oregon could not travel to an end. I ne'er instrumentality thing for granted.”

Emmerdale runs weekdays connected ITV1 and STV astatine 7.30pm. Episodes tin besides beryllium downloaded connected ITVX.