Emmerdale star Gabrielle Dowling and her real-life twin brother Sebastian Dowling have portrayed Cathy and Heath Hope on the ITV soap for their entire lives.
The non-identical twins first appeared on our screens in 2007 at only a few weeks old and incredibly they have played the roles of Bob and Viv Hope's children ever since. Cathy Hope has been at the centre of much of the soaps drama during her time in the Dales.
One of her biggest storylines to date has been within the past year when she turned out to be the perpetrator in Amelia Spencer's (Daisy Campbell) online bullying storyline. However, the pair have since made amends and put their differences aside and recently Cathy has been a great support to her friend Amelia, who has been having a tough time of late after discovering she was pregnant.
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Actor Gabrielle, who has played Cathy since being a new-born, has been recognised for her dedication to her role having recently received a nomination for Best Young Performer at the Inside Soap Awards. In an interview with Metro.co.uk, the teen said: "I’m really excited to have been nominated, it’s great to be recognised for my efforts following my first big storyline whilst enjoying it and learning on the job!
"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 four 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 [Sebastian, who plays Heath]). 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."
Gabrielle went on to discuss her hopes for the future for her on-screen character, revealing that she wants to challenge herself further with some difficult topics.
She said the bullying storyline was "difficult" as it wasn't "within my nature", however, it was an important topic to cover. She said: " I was determined to show that bullying does happen, also helping the audience to understand why some people do bully was important for me."
Speaking of the soaps upcoming milestone, Gabrielle said: "It’s great to be involved in the 50th anniversary episodes and to be working alongside cast members who I don’t always get the chance to work with and learn from."
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