Emmerdale fans over the moon as icon finally confirms return

Corriedale may be over and done with, but that doesn’t mean the soaps are set to slow down any time soon.

Like many of us, the cast of Emmerdale are now back at work after the festive break, and it seems Ruby Miligan star Beth Cordingly is particularly happy to be back.

We can always rely on Beth to give us fans a sneak peek behind-the-scenes of the ITV soap, and this week she has taken us with her on her first day back.

It looked like a cold day in the Emmerdale village, with Beth wrapped up warm as she walked past the graveyard, joking that Dave Glover was buried in there somewhere.

Fans of the actress will know that Dave was played by Beth’s real-life partner, Ian Kelsey, from 1994 until 1996.

Beth and Ian have been together for almost five years, and she often shares her love and appreciation for him on social media.

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He was also a big support to her when she first landed the part of Ruby.

‘There is that thing as an actor where you are always taken away from home, but he totally gets it,’ she previously said.

‘He knows a lot of the crew and cast and so it’s lovely to be able to share what I’ve been up to, knowing he understands.’

Though Beth didn’t give away any massive spoilers for upcoming Emmerdale plots in her behind-the-scenes video, she did let us know that Ruby has been out for a run.

She also mentioned how cold it was in the village, before showing us the iconic Woolpack exterior.

Beth’s followers were pleased to see her back at work, taking to the comments with well-wishes.

‘Hope it is not too cold for you all,’ Lauren said, while Brian added: ‘Lovely to see you back Happy New Year!’

Others picked up on the reference to poor Dave Glover, who died on Christmas Day in 1996 from injuries sustained in a house fire.

‘Rip Dave,’ Erin wrote, while Mike agreed: ‘RIP Dave Glover.’

However, Katie isn’t convinced that Dave won’t someday be back: ‘The way that people come back from the dead on Emmerdale, there’s always a chance!’

2025 was a big year for Beth’s character Ruby, as she found the courage to expose her dad, Anthony, for sexually abusing her as a child.

The heartbreaking storyline saw Caleb Miligan (William Ash) learn that his daughter, Steph, wasn’t his, and though Ruby initially let him believe that she had been unfaithful, he was left devastated by the revelation that Steph was Anthony’s daughter.

The climax of the story saw Anthony murdered, with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) believing he’d struck the fatal blow. In a bid to protect his lover, John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) hid the body.

When Ruby later confessed that she had been the one to kill her dad, a number of villagers vowed to keep it a secret.

Ruby was last seen on our screens on Christmas Day, and fans in the comments of her Instagram post agree that it has been too long.

‘Yay you’re back,’ Susie said, while an Emmerdale fan account wrote: ‘yay ar rubes is back.’

While some fans commented that they were gutted Ruby wasn’t in Corriedale, others were glad that she avoided the carnage and will (hopefully!) live to see another year.

The actress previously thanked fans for their support as she clocked out of work for Christmas, adding: ‘We wouldn’t be here without you.’

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