Emmerdale actor Ash Palmisciano made history by playing the first transgender
character in the soap. He first appeared on screen as Matty Barton in 2018 and
has since been involved in several challenging storylines.
Most recently, Matty has been in prison after accidentally stabbing Samson Dingle (Sam Hall).
Matty was simply walking with a kitchen knife when transphobe Josh (Osian Morgan) pushed Samson towards him.
In upcoming scenes, Matty faces a terrifying situation when wife
Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson) reveals his true identity to transphobic prisoner Robbo – mistaking him for accepting cellmate Les.
Robbo corners Matty in his cell and reveals that he knows the truth – is Matty in serious danger?
As the fallout from the stabbing continues, find out more about actor Ash’s personal life away from our TV screens.
Who is Ash Pamisciano?
Ash Palmisciano was born in January 1990, making him 34 years old.
A master of many crafts, Ash Pamisciano is an actor, poet, writer and narrator.
He was originally brought in to advise Emmerdale on their new transgender character, through a charity called All About Trans. They then asked him to audition and the rest is history.
He described the casting and the role as a ‘big thing’ and said he has been pleasantly surprised by the reception he’s received.
According to his IMDB page, he has also worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and was the first transgender actor to appear on the RSC stage.
Ash previously had a YouTube channel where he posted short blogs, spoken word poetry and advice videos.
What has Ash Palmisciano said about his transition?
In April 2019, his character Matty received top surgery, which left him overjoyed.
Ash explained at the time: ‘I think at the time we were going to go down that path, it was lockdown and surgeries weren’t happening in the UK and in reality there are huge waiting lists.
‘So, I really believe it’s true to show a real reflection and so does Emmerdale – and when the time is right, it could be something really exciting to explore.’
‘Matty’s had a bit of a turbulent time with himself in the sense of getting his hormones right and waiting for his surgery and trying to navigate this relationship; he’s never spoken to people about it and he’s always dealt with stuff on his own – he went off to transition on his own, he doesn’t really do well with communicating his feelings.’
Ash wrote for Metro.co.uk in 2021, saying: ‘I came to the conclusion pretty early on in my life that I might be trans, however there were no characters or role models for reference. I didn’t even really have the words to explain how I was feeling.
‘I kept it to myself, worried that I might be rejected or seen as ‘weird’ or not ‘normal’ (whatever that even is).’
He continued: ‘I was very lucky and had a very supportive sister who I was able to speak with. Getting out of my head and being able to explore my thoughts in a supportive space was life changing.
‘With fantastic support I soon realised that being my true self was so much easier; I was no longer having to act a role in my everyday life.’
‘Basically, I’m just a guy who took the scenic route to get here.’
The character has faced a number of transphobic comments during his stint on the show, with Claudette Anderson (Flo Wilson) recently refused to let Matty and Amy use the village hall for their wedding after learning that Matty was transgender.
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Unfortunately, Ash has also faced negative comments, he recently revealed.
‘Like Matty, I’ve experienced trolling. I’ve heard horrific language and had disturbing threats,’ he told The Mirror.
‘It’s partly because of the lack of education on being trans,’ he explained.
‘I’ve been called things like ‘that tr***ie from Emmerdale’. One time, a guy had clearly had a lot of alcohol, he was angry and aggressive and came up to my face and told me, “No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be a man.” I know he’d had a lot to drink but surely he must have known how hurtful that can be?
‘If I’ve been in a scene there’ll be nice messages, but there’ll also always be transphobic comments.’
Is Ash Palmisciano married?
Unlike his alter-ego Matty, Ash is not married, but is in a relationship with girlfriend Shea Rowan.
The couple announced their partnership on New Year’s Eve 2021, and a year later he shared an adorable – and hilarious – tribute to mark their anniversary.
Describing their ‘typical boy meets girl story’ he said: ‘I said [to Rhea], can I take you for steak? She said she’s Vegan.’
‘Luckily she was too polite to turn down a drink. The more I got to know her the more I realised she was perfect. So eventually I summoned the courage to pop the big question… “Do you want to get a ‘two together rail card?’” One year on together and the rest is history.’
This article was first published on June 7 2024.
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