Emmerdale Tate family stars now – co-star affairs, Bridgerton fame and untimely death

Emmerdale has had many famous families join the ITV village throughout the decades.

From the Dingles to the Tates, the lives of the families have kept viewers on the edge of their seats as we experienced the highs, lows and scandals of their lives.

One of the original families to join the series was the Tates, with many fans hoping that members such as Joe Tate will one day make an appearance in the dales.

Along with sudden deaths, arrests, jail time, affairs and romance heartbreak, the drama has seen many of the Tates come and go, with only grandson Noah and original matriarch Kim Tate left in the village.

As one of the most famous Emmerdale families, Daily Star has taken a look at where the stars who played the original Tates are now.

Frank Tate – Norman Bowler

The original Tate family patriarch was Frank, played by Norman Bowler from 1989 to 1997, following the character’s sudden death from a heart attack.

However long before his Emmerdale fame, the actor already had a long and successful acting career in TV series such as The Avengers, Crossroads and Softly, Softly.

Although his last credited role was in Living In Hope in 2002, it is reported that away from acting, Frank is dedicated to charity work and supporting adult education programmes.

As part of these programmes, it is reported that he works with actors to stage amateur productions.

In his personal life, the actor was also married twice – first to Henrietta Moraes until 1956 and then to Diane Bowler until 2012, following her death.

He is also the son of the famous London jeweller Clifford Norman Bowler, who has a plaque dedicated to him on Mill Lane in the city.

Chris Tate – Peter Amory

Chris Tate was the son of Frank Tate, played by Peter Amory between 1989 and 2003 before the character sadly died.

However while appearing on the soap, he also met his future wife Claire King, who played his on-screen stepmother Kim Tate.

The couple married in 1994, but 10 years later, allegations of an alleged affair between him and fellow Emmerdale co-star Samantha Giles, who plays Bernice Blackstock, surfaced.

Although the couple split up, there were rumours that the two would rekindle their romance, but this did not work out, with Kim Tate actress Claire King telling Channel 5 series In Therapy: “Then they [Peter and Samantha] split and we thought we’d work it out, then they got together again.

“Six months ­later… finished. I felt as though it was the end of something but also a failure. And I didn’t want it to be a failure.

“It was a loss as well. It was a failure of a marriage but the loss of a good friend. I really didn’t know it would ­affect me so badly.”

After leaving Emmerdale, Peter has since had roles in TV series including Heartbeat, Casualty and The Royal Today.

His most recent roles were in Playhouse Presents in 2014, and as the Earl of Rutland in TV series The Tudors, opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Zoe Tate – Leah Bracknell

Zoe was one of the original Tate family members to join Home Farm in the eighties, alongside brother Chris and father Frank.

She was played by Leah Bracknell for more than 16 years from 1989 to 2005, before the character left the village following her arrest for attempted murder.

The storyline earned the actress the Best Exit prize at the British Soap Awards in 2006, and she was also nominated for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards in 2002.

After leaving the soap, Leah starred in a number of TV series including The Royal Today, A Touch Of Frost, Doctors and A Dark Reflection, as well as becoming a qualified yoga teacher.

In her personal life, the actress was also married to her husband Jez Hughes between 2017 and 2019 and she had two children called Lily and Maya.

However in 2016, Leah was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and following the news, friends and fans across the country had donated over £50,000 to help towards the cost of treatments such as immunotherapy.

The actress later died on September 15, 2019, with a statement announcing her death saying: “It is with the deepest sadness that Leah Bracknell’s family confirm that Leah passed away in September, three years after her diagnosis with stage 4 lung cancer.

“They would like to thank all the public for their support and generosity which contributed to the extension and quality of her life over the past three years.

“Leah continued to embrace life and faced her illness with positivity.”

Fans and fellow soap stars paid tribute to the actress following her death, with Coronation Street’s Sally Ann Matthews saying Leah was a “beautiful soul” and that the “world has lost a little sparkle”.

Kim Tate – Claire King

Frank Tate’s second wife Kim has become one of Emmerdale’s most famous characters, with the resident becoming involved in scandals, feuds and an epic return back in 2018.

Kim Tate has been famously played by fan-favourite Claire King for more than 39 years – and there’s no signs that the character is going anywhere just yet – much to viewers’ delight.

Along with Emmerdale, Claire also played tough talking Karen Betts in the acclaimed drama series Bad Girls from 2000 until 2004, and has starred in programmes such as The Royal, Holby City and Doctors.

She also took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2006 alongside professional dancer Brendan Cole, where they successfully danced their way to week eight, before the couple were eliminated.

However, her role as Kim is one that she will forever be known for, with the actress admitting that she is planning to retire from acting after she is finished playing the character.

While playing Kim Tate, Claire also met ex-husband Peter Amory, who played her stepson Chris Tate in the soap.

However, it was reported by The Mirror that their 10-year marriage broke down when it was revealed that Peter was having an affair with one of their Emmerdale co-stars, Samantha Giles, who played Bernice Blackstock.

Talking to The Mirror in 2005, Claire said: “I questioned Pete and he admitted it had been going on for a while.

“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.'”

However, she has said that she does still get along with both Peter and Samantha, saying: “We were close and we’ll always be mates.”

Joe Tate – Ned Porteous

Many fans have taken to social media in recent months, hoping that Joe Tate will return to Emmerdale – with many thinking that he could have perhaps taken over the Woolpack Pub.

However it was not meant to be – and Joe is still yet to return to the dales, after leaving in 2018 following the death of his father Chris.

Joe was played by actor Ned Porteous for two years between 2017 and 2018, but before he joined Emmerdale, he also had a role in another rival soap.

In 2016, Ned played Mark Fowler Jnr in BBC soap EastEnders, before the character left Walford to move to America.

Along with roles in programmes including Holby City, the actor most recently appeared in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton as Lord Wetherby in 2020.

He sent fans wild when he shared a photograph of himself in costume on Instagram, wearing an open shirt and suspenders, captioned: “These are my real side burns.”

Away from the limelight, it is reported that Ned is currently single, but was previously dating actress Lucy Heath in 2019, with a source telling The Sun: “It’s early days but Ned is really enjoying dating Lucy. They have both been in America recently looking for work and grew really close.

“Ned usually likes to keep his love life private but has been taking Lucy to various events both in London and LA.

“They have loads in common with their acting work and make a great looking couple – it’s just Ned’s fans who are gutted!”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk