Emmerdale fans were devastated this week, after Ellis Chapman decided to leave the village for Australia.
Both viewers and the characters on screen were left in tears, as Ellis got a surprise visit from former flame Priya Sharma while waiting for a taxi to the airport.
She later told him: “You know I love you, don’t you?” to which Ellis replied: “I love you, I always did,” before departing for good.
Ellis Chapman’s departure from Emmerdale follows allegations of a race probe about two of its stars, which reportedly left actor Aaron furious and led to his decision to quit the soap.
Although Aaron may be leaving Emmerdale, it is certain it will not be the last time we see him, having already achieved huge success in his career opposite some famous names of stage and screen.
Rival soap role
(Image: ITV)
Aaron graduated from the Bristol Old Vic in 2013, and, since then, the talented actor has not left our screens or theatre stages.
However a few years before he landed his famous Emmerdale role, he also starred in another rival soap.
From 2017 to 2018, he played Nathan Westwood in BBC daytime soap Doctors, alongside appearances in other popular TV programmes including Holby City and Hidden.
His first acting role actually came when he was just six years old, when he starred in Midsomer Murders in 1997.
He later went on to star in the crime drama once again in 2019, for one episode as Cal Ingallas.
Aaron also received critical acclaim for his role as Adam Hesketh in Delicious, opposite Dawn French and Emilia Fox, as well as his role as Ian in the Netflix series Behind Her Eyes in 2021.
Emmerdale fame and race row
Aaron Anthony joined Emmerdale in 2019 after former Ellis Chapman star Asan N’Jie was fired by soap bosses, following a confrontation with Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas at the TV Choice Awards in 2019.
However, Aaron has reportedly quit the soap after bosses launched a race probe against two of its biggest stars.
Matthew Wolfenden and Isabel Hodgins, who play David Metcalfe and Victoria Sugden, had earlier become involved in claims that a mixed race actress’ accent was mimicked, but have denied any allegations of wrongdoing.
It was later reported that Matthew and Aaron rowed after the alleged incident, with Aaron deciding to leave the soap following the allegations against his cast members.
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.
(Image: ITV)
“He has done some filming over the last couple of weeks, but the understanding is that those scenes will be his last.
“He has been very vocal in his opinions about the allegations and about the way in which the enquiries have been handled by the bosses. He now feels his position on the show is untenable.”
However, following reports that Aaron had quit the soap because of the allegations against his co-stars, a spokesperson for the soap told Entertainment Daily: “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.”
In addition, an ITV spokesperson added: “We don’t comment on cast contracts.”
Co-star romance
Aaron is known for keeping his private life away from the public eye, but he has occasionally shared sweet glimpses into his life with girlfriend Rebekah Hinds.
It is reported that the couple met while they were working together on a production of Billy Liar at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2014.
Although Aaron does not have a large social media presence, he has shared a few tweets about his life with Rebekah, including their love for cooking recipes by the chef Sabrina Ghayour-Lynn.
Aaron said: “Wow! Thank you so much. Myself, my mum, sister and girlfriend are all in love with Feasts everyone got it this Christmas. Here’s one my girlfriend made the other day!”
Rebekah also keeps their relationship away from social media, but has occasionally shared photographs of the couple, including a sweet snap of the couple together celebrating Aaron’s birthday at the Radisson Blu Hotel in 2017.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
