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Megan Shaw

Are Emmerdale twins Cathy and Heath Hope related in real life?

Emmerdale's Bob Hope has been feeling the pressure this week on the long-running ITV soap, as he finds himself in the middle of his twins Cathy and Heath Hope.

Recent scenes saw the family at loggerheads during a bust up at the cafe leading to Cathy smashing up her brother Heath's guitar in a fit of rage.

Bob Hope and his then wife Viv welcomed twins Cathy and Heath back in 2007, child stars Gabrielle and Sebastian Dowling have portrayed the twins on the Yorkshire-based soap for their entire lives but what many don't realise is they are actually twins in real life too.

READ MORE: Emmerdale’s Laura Norton shares sweet birthday tribute to famous fiancé who dated Happy Valley star

At risk of stating the obvious, this isn't always the case in Soapland, Coronation Street's resident twins Asha and Aadi Alahan are played by actors Tanisha Gorey and Adam Hussain, who aren't actually related in real life.

Gabrielle and Sebastian Dowling first appeared on our screens as newborns and incredibly they have played the roles of Bob and Viv Hope's children ever since and continue to do so today at the age of 16.

The non-identical twins were cast to feature from birth, however, due to Sebastian needing to stay in hospital for an extra week, the crew were temporarily forced to use a stand-in. Their parents heard the soap were looking for newborn twins to star in the soap when mum Louise was pregnant.

Gabrielle has been on Emmerdale since she was four weeks old (ITV)

Louise, who used to dance professionally and had been an extra, knew what was involved with the casting process. "You don't get opportunities like this every day and it will be something for them to look back on when they are older," she told the Huddersfield Examiner in February 2007, before their first episode had aired.

"I was a bit dubious at first because I wasn't sure what my husband would think about it. But Emmerdale has been fantastic."

The twins were not on a contract at first so Louise had no idea how long they would remain on the soap for, but vowed to carry on as long as it didn't interfere with their home life.

And the staff at Emmerdale worked very carefully with Gabrielle and Sebastian to make sure they were only on set for a short period of time and involved in quick scenes.

Cathy and Heath are the twin children of Viv and Bob Hope (ITV)

Often in soap land child stars who are introduced as babies often get re-cast but amazingly Gabrielle and Sebastian have stuck around and viewers have recently seen the two really come in to their own.

In an interview with the Metro last year, Gabrielle enthused: "I've enjoyed having the opportunity to build the role that I've grown up with and develop the character of Cathy whilst learning from experienced actors and directors.

"I've been in the soap since I was 4 weeks old so it's second nature to me. It's one big family, everyone gets on and it's a great atmosphere to work in.

"The studio and village have been a huge part of my life along with my brother's. Having celebrated birthdays on set allowed me to feel close with the people around me and showed me how much of a family we are."

Their characters have had to deal with a lot over the years, including their mum's tragic death, the twins' on-screen mother Viv Hope, tragically passsed away in a post office fire, and it was touch and go for the twins as well who were also caught up in the disaster. Not to mention their dad's numerous affairs and a few different step mums.

And it looks like it's only the start of what's to come for the twins as they start to take on their own storylines in the coming months.

In upcoming scenes viewers will see Cathy confide in Bernice Blackstock over her heavy periods who encourages her to book an appointment with the doctor, the heart-to-heart will lead to Cathy getting the help she needs with her struggles when doctor Manpreet Sharma, writes her a prescription for the pill.

Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV at 7pm with an extra episode on Thursdays at 8pm.

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