Away from the Dales, actress Natalie Robb lives a much less chaotic life than her Emmerdale character, Moira Dingle, who is caught up in the ITV soap’s latest storyline

There’s drama ahead for Moira Dingle as Natalie Robb’s character finds herself in the midst of Emmerdale’s latest bombshell storyline.

Since moving to the Dales as a farmer’s wife in 2009, Moira has brought viewers plenty of mayhem – from a steamy affair and marriage to resident bag boy Cain Dingle, to going into labour in a burning barn. And now, the ITV soap has thrown the Dingle household into chaos again, as Moira has found herself questioning Cain’s loyalty.

Feisty Moira has been a fan favourite since 2009

Thankfully for actress Natalie, her onscreen counterpart’s life is far wilder than hers in real life. Away from the set, Natalie – who is originally from Bellshill, Glasgow – leads a much more chilled lifestyle. But there are still plenty of things that may surprise soap fans – including her romance with a fellow co-star and role in a rival show.

Natalie and Johnny sparked a chemistry away from the cameras but split after two years ( Image: Instagram)

Secret co-star romance

Moira has had a rather eventful love life during her time in Emmerdale, and it would appear as though a few sparks were flying behind the scenes as well. During an Emmerdale charity trip to Lapland in 2019, Natalie and co-star Jonny McPherson – who plays Dr Liam Cavanagh – began to feel a romantic connection and, in January 2020, shared a kiss.

Little did they know that their budding relationship would face unprecedented challenges. In March of that same year, the country went into lockdown, leaving the loved-up new couple with an impossible choice to make. Speaking about the early days of their romance with the Mirror in November 2020, Jonny revealed: “We had to make a decision as lots of couples did. We decided to move in together and so, yes, lockdown did fast forward our relationship.”

The pair initially attempted to keep their blossoming relationship a secret but ended up blowing their cover after appearing on a joint Zoom call to wish co-star Liam Fox – who plays Dan Spencer – a very happy 50th birthday. Reflecting on the close bond they developed, Jonny continued: “We get on so well.

“We come from quite different backgrounds but we are essentially the same person. We are both a pair of big kids. We have exactly the same stupid humour.” Despite getting through lockdown with “flying colours” together, Natalie and Jonny called it quits in 2021, but are said to still be friends.

Early pop star career

Although Natalie is best known for playing Moira, Emmerdale wasn’t her first venture into soapland. Indeed, eagle-eyed viewers may recall that the thespian previously made an appearance in EastEnders, where she played womanising Max Branning’s mistress Gemma Clewes for three episodes back in 2006.

Natalie has also appeared in a number of other long-running TV shows in her time, including Waterloo Road, The Bill, Where The Heart Is, and Holby City. Away from acting, she’s also tried her hand at being a pop star. She was previously part of the band The Kinky, and, in 1997 she released a track called Keep Your Love with dance troupe Partizan.