Jeff Hordley has opened up about what makes being part of Emmerdale’s famous Dingle clan so special.
Acting star Jeff Hordley has reflected on his time on the soap as part of the preparations for Emmerdale’s big 50th celebrations with major storylines set to run throughout October. Jeff Hordley, 52, first appeared in Emmerdale back in 2000 and is as popular as ever with fans.
In 2006, Jeff took three years off from playing Cain Dingle. Since his return he’s been seen as one of the iconic programme’s stalwarts.
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Discussing why Jeff loves being a Dingle, he said: “Each one of the family is rounded, fun and brilliant characters but with that, the actor behind each one is a lot of fun in their own right and we all have a laugh on set. When there are Dingle family scenes they have to quieten us down a bit on set because we all get a bit giddy.
“Some of my earliest memories are of breakfast scenes at the Dingles, which was mayhem. There was so much toast, sausages and bacon, I’m sure I put on a stone in my first six months at Emmerdale, with Cain being the character that he is, he’s wolfing things down so if you’re doing six takes I end up eating so much.
“I do remember one scene with Lisa Riley who is very cheeky and funny, with her and Jim and just before we’re about to start Lisa leans over to Jim (James Hooton, who plays Sam Dingle) and puts a massive splodge of tomato sauce on his face and then they shout ‘action’. They were straight in it and I just thought ‘what is going on!’ That mayhem and fun we were having before I think got translated into the scene. Fun times.”
Jeff, who is married to co-star Zoe Henry, still recalls his first Emmerdale as if it was yesterday. He explained: “I remember driving on the M62 from Manchester, as that was where I was living at the time and on that journey I remember thinking ‘Oh my God, I’m going to be one of the Dingles’ because they were such an iconic family.
“There was Zak, Sam, Butch, Mandy, Lisa and Marlon, there were so many different Dingles and I thought I’m going to be part of this family, this is bizarre. I remember coming up to the village and driving down the track and I’m a bit of a nature square so I was marvelling at the birds and the deer and everything along the track.”
Jeff has always been a big fan of Emmerdale’s location with rural Yorkshire holding a special place in his heart. Jeff, from Manchester, has previously referred to himself as an ‘adopted Yorkshireman ’.
Concluding, the Cain Dingle star said: “I love the crew, I love the people who work in the building and I have great laughs with the people I work with in front of the camera. I have a really close set of friends here and we’ll be friends for life. I love the countryside and the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire itself, that’s what I’ve fallen in love with and that’s what keeps me enjoying this show and keeps me happy.”
You can visit our Emmerdale homepage to find the latest gossip about the soap and its stars. There you'll also find our Emmerdale features and news about the show's 50th anniversary plans.
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