Feuds in Emmerdale are common place – just take the Tates versus the Dingles, but over the years, some of the most dramatic clashes connected to the ITV soap have happened away from the cameras.
From relationship scandals that rocked the cast to bitter fallouts and public controversies, Emmerdale has seen its fair share of real-life drama behind the scenes.
Here is a look back at some of the biggest off-screen feuds linked to the long-running soap.
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Off-screen Emmerdale feuds: Cheating scandals
More than once, romance behind the scenes has ended in scandal for the Emmerdale cast.
Samantha Giles, Claire King and Peter Amory
Kim Tate actress Claire King married Chris Tate actor Peter Amory in 1994. Their relationship lasted a decade, but the marriage ended after Claire discovered Peter had been having an affair with Bernice Blackstock star Samantha Giles.
Speaking to The Mirror in 2005, Claire explained how she first found out.
“It was Samantha’s husband who wrote me a letter and told me. That was about four years ago. I questioned Pete and he told me it was over but then it started again.
“At that point I said: ‘Well you have to go with her then, because it obviously isn’t going to stop’.”
Years later, Claire revealed time had helped heal the situation. Appearing on Loose Women in 2017, she admitted she also reflected on her own role in the marriage ending.
“It had got past the seven year itch into the 10 years, it was coming to that fork in the road and you either go down that path or you decide to take different routes.
“So nobody was really to blame in that, it was just we’d kind of grown apart.”
Claire has since made peace with Samantha. The pair later crossed paths at a funeral and were able to move on from what happened.
“I met Sam at a funeral of a dear friend of ours and we bumped into each other,” she said.
“[Sam] said ‘look, I’m really sorry,’ and I said, ‘It’s so long ago, it’s water under the bridge, it’s fine.”
Isabel Hodgins’ fling with Danny Miller
Isabel Hodgins, who plays Victoria Sugden, dated co-star Mike Parr (Ross Barton) for three years between 2016 and 2019.
The break-up later became the centre of a reported scandal. It was alleged that Danny Miller’s then-girlfriend Kirsty-Leigh Porter discovered messages on his phone between him and Isabel which suggested an affair.
According to The Sun, the situation caused tension among the cast and reportedly divided colleagues into opposing sides.
A source claimed: “Michael was also angry. He thought he and Danny were close friends.
“The tension between them caused major problems on set, because Michael made it crystal clear he didn’t want to be around Danny.”
Despite the alleged drama, Isabel and Michael stayed together for a time afterwards before eventually parting ways when he moved to America in 2019.
Off-screen Emmerdale feuds: Racism row
In 2021 Isabel Hodgins and Matthew Wolfenden, who played Victoria Sugden and David Metcalfe, became involved in a racism row that made headlines.
What allegedly happened in Emmerdale racism row?
In November 2021, The Sun reported that an on-set confrontation between Matthew and Isabel had become “very heated”.
Later reports suggested the dispute also involved Aaron Anthony, who played Ellis Chapman at the time.
The Sun alleged a comment had been made and that there had been mimicking of a mixed-race co-star’s accent, although the actor involved was not identified.
A source said: “We have been told that Aaron brought this up with Matthew subsequently and that there was a tense conversation between them. Matthew and Isabel stopped filming afterwards.
“Emotions have been running high on set ever since. But no one knows what to believe.
“The female cast member who was involved is filming as normal. But she wishes that she wasn’t entangled in it.”
Aaron Anthony leaves Emmerdale
Aaron Anthony later exited the soap in February 2022, with reports claiming he quit following the controversy.
A source told The Sun: “Aaron is bitterly angry about this situation and he has had to be persuaded to come back to Leeds to film his scenes in recent months.
“He has done some filming over the last couple of weeks, but the understanding is that those scenes will be his last.”
The insider added that Aaron had been “very vocal” about the allegations and felt his future on the show had become untenable.
What did Emmerdale say about the situation?
When the initial reports surfaced, Emmerdale issued a statement.
“While we would never comment on individual cases, Emmerdale has robust policies in place to deal with any allegations brought to our attention and take the appropriate steps.
“Neither actor has been suspended from Emmerdale.”
When later asked about Aaron’s departure, a spokesperson added: “We don’t comment on cast contracts.”
Matthew Wolfenden speaks out on Emmerdale off-screen feud
Matthew later addressed the controversy during an appearance on The Lewis Nicholls Show in May 2025.
He said: “We were falsely accused of doing an accent on set. Whenever the word race is used, they have to take it seriously. A young cast member mistakenly thought he heard us doing a Chinese accent. So he went to see the producer and said ‘I’m not very happy about this, I just heard them mimicking a Chinese accent’.
“Because of this, we did have to get suspended. As soon as that issue is brought up, they have to go down the correct route to investigate what happened.”
Matthew explained that he and Isabel had actually been recreating a comedy moment from The League of Gentlemen while discussing shows they enjoyed watching.
He added that although he wanted to share his version of events at the time, he was encouraged to stay quiet while the situation was investigated. The pressure surrounding the controversy eventually led to him spending a month at The Priory.
Matthew later left the soap. Isabel, however, remains on the show as Victoria, although she is currently on maternity leave after welcoming her first child.
Emmerdale off-screen feuds: Asan N’Jie’s death threats
In September 2019, a night out at the TV Choice Awards ended in controversy when Ellis Chapman actor Asan N’Jie was filmed throwing a punch at Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas.
The Mirror reported that during the altercation Asan allegedly threatened to “knife” and “kill” Jamie before they were pulled apart by others present.
At the time, Emmerdale confirmed it was looking into the situation.
“We are extremely concerned to hear about an incident at last night’s TV Choice Awards involving one of Emmerdale’s cast.
“Obviously we will be investigating and talking to the actor concerned in due course.”
Soon afterwards the soap announced the actor had been suspended while the incident was investigated.
“ITV executives have met with him and as a consequence Asan’s contract has been terminated with immediate effect.”
In his own statement, Asan apologised for what had happened.
“My behaviour at the TV Choice awards was completely unacceptable and very much out of character.
“I sincerely apologise to everybody who has been affected especially Jamie Lomas, the whole Emmerdale team, our audience, ITV, my family, and the organisers of the TV Choice awards.
“I am devastated, accept full responsibility for my actions and I am determined to learn from this.”
Roxanne Pallett’s off-screen feud with the Emmerdale cast revealed in 2018
Roxanne Pallett played Jo Stiles in Emmerdale between 2005 and 2008. But it was her appearance on Big Brother in 2018 that led to a very public falling-out with many of her former co-stars.
During her time in the house Roxanne accused former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas of punching her. Footage later showed the moment had been misinterpreted, and Ofcom received more than 25,000 complaints about the claims.
The controversy prompted a number of Roxanne’s former Emmerdale colleagues to speak out online.
Nick Miles, who plays Jimmy King, described her as “toxic”, while Verity Rushworth, Adele Silva and Charley Webb were among others who publicly criticised her actions.
Roxanne later apologised and stepped away from public life. She moved to New York, married firefighter Jason Carrion in 2020 and welcomed their first child the following year.
Ryan Thomas went on to win that series of Big Brother and has since remained a popular TV personality, including winning Dancing On Ice in 2024.
Even after more than 50 years on screen, Emmerdale continues to generate drama both on and off the set. And as the latest storylines show, the tensions surrounding the soap are rarely far from the headlines.
Read more: Emmerdale cast shake-up 2026 as exits confirmed and big returns teased – so who’s leaving?
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 8pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
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