Emmerdale star Danny Miller has admitted he was a nervous wreck ahead of his shock return to the soap – and only his wife could calm him down.
The actor, who plays fan favourite Aaron Dingle, quit the ITV show last year but got a surprise phone call inviting him to be part of its 50th anniversary episodes.
However, despite having spent eight years in Emmerdale previously, Danny said going back felt like his first day at school.
“It was nerve-racking and quite anxiety-provoking,” he admits.
“My wife Steph is absolutely amazing and she always calms me down, which is obviously the reason I married her.
“We always let each other know how we feel, so the day before I went back to Emmerdale, I said to her, ‘I’m feeling really anxious’.
“I’d thought of staying over in a hotel the night before but I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. I’d have been a nervous wreck because she wasn’t there.
"I’ve just had 12 months off, so my brain hasn’t really been exercised in that way for a whole year.
“I was worried whether I’d still be able to do it – was I going to sound the same? There were so many strange and stupid thoughts that weren’t necessary.
“It felt like the first day back at school, I even made myself a little packed lunch like a nine-year-old boy and I left 45 minutes early, just to make sure I wasn’t late.
"I built myself up into a bit of a state and had a few butterflies. But I talked it through with Steph and we broke it down.
“She made me realise it was almost like I was just going back to say hello and tie up a few things, and say happy 50th birthday to Emmerdale. I wasn’t going to be there for long, so I should just enjoy it.
“I was glad of her being there. She settled me down and the day before I went in, our son Albert was teething, so he kept me busy. It meant that by the end of the day I was knackered, so I slept OK.”
Danny has previously opened up about his struggle with anxiety and depression, crediting midwife Steph with helping him through the “lowest points” in his life.
The couple met at primary school in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and dated while they were at secondary school.
They drifted apart after Danny left school but reconnected three years ago, when he contacted her through Instagram.
Danny recalls: “I left school the year before her and we went off in separate directions for ten years – I was living in Leeds for however many years.
“Now it feels crazy we’re married to each other, having been friends in primary school and secondary school.
"It’s a weird concept that I’ve ended up marrying my childhood sweetheart – it sounds like a plot from Emmerdale!”
The couple got engaged in 2019 and Steph gave birth to their son Albert last autumn.
They then tied the knot in a star-studded ceremony in Cheshire this summer.
Danny says: “My wife knows me better than anybody. We often talk about memories from primary and secondary school.
"She knows exactly how I feel and I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to her; she’s done so much for me mentally and so have I for her.”
The actor won last year’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! but has otherwise spent most of this year being a full-time dad to Albert.
He says: “I’m a Celebrity was perfect timing because it meant I could be away from Albert for three weeks and then spend the rest of the year with him, so I made that promise to myself and to Steph.
"Being at home with them has definitely made me more family-orientated. Albert is the reason I want to get out of bed in the morning.
“I’ve really enjoyed it but now it’s time to get back to work and explore new ventures to earn a few quid for Steph and Albert when I pop my clogs.”
Aaron pops up in Emmerdale just as half-sister Liv (played by Isobel Steele ) has been knocked unconscious by thug Terry (Neil Bell).
Terry is demanding she retract a statement she gave police about how Terry and her mum Sandra (Joanna Mitchell) tried to scam her.
As Terry panics and bolts, he runs into Aaron, who attacks him.
When policewoman Harriet Finch arrives on the scene paramedics are called – but it’s Aaron who ends up getting arrested.
Danny says: “It absolutely happens at the wrong time.
“He walks in, sees a stranger in his house, he could be anybody. But given the state of panic, Aaron deals with it by punching as always.
“Just as that happens, Harriet walks in, so she has no choice but to arrest him.”
Although it’s been less than a year since he was last on screen, Danny admits viewers will notice a change in his appearance.
“My hair is longer and I’ve not done much exercise, so now I’ve got a bit of a dad bod,” he laughs.
“I’m happy with myself, so it doesn’t bother me. I’d rather be playing with Albert than be in the gym lifting weights.”
Danny made his TV debut in Grange Hill aged 16 and in 2008 joined Emmerdale, aged 17.
During his first stint, Aaron was involved in the assisted suicide of quadriplegic boyfriend Jackson Walsh with the help of Jackson’s mum Hazel, played by Pauline Quirke.
He stayed for four years and went on to appear in the police series Scott & Bailey and ITV drama Lightfields.
He returned to Emmerdale in 2014 and has featured in a host of award-winning storylines, most notably Aaron’s touching relationship with Robert Sugden, in which the couple were affectionately dubbed Robron.
When Danny decided to go, writers had Aaron quit the Dales last year because he felt he needed a fresh start in the wake of boyfriend Ben Tucker’s death.
At the time, Liv was in prison, wrongly accused of murdering Ben.
Explaining his decision to leave, Danny says: “Aaron ended up being quite quiet in the show towards me leaving, which helped me want to leave and spread my wings.
“He’d done so much in five or six years that there wasn’t a massive amount more he could do, so I thought it was a really good time to let him have a break and let the show have a break.
“I was surprised when Emmerdale got in touch asking me if I wanted to come back.
“At first I was a bit worried whether to do it or not, because it has only been a year, but when I realised I could do it on a short-term basis and that Aaron was going to be an integral part in the 50th storyline, I thought it would be great.”
Danny already has a couple of jobs in the pipeline for when his stint in Emmerdale is over – but he refuses to rule out a more permanent return.
“I’d never say never,” he says. “And I think if I was going to be in the show again, I’d want to do it on a regular basis...you either want to be in it or you want to experience other things and at this moment, I want to have a bit more time and get a few other projects off the ground.
"But Emmerdale has been a massive part of my life.
“It’s given me so much and I’d always respect the request if they ever wanted me back again.”
Emmerdale, Mon-Thurs 7.30pm, Fri 7pm, ITV
