Emmerdale star Jeff Hordley has opened up about fearing he would be replaced on the long-running ITV soap.
The actor has played Cain Dingle in the fictional Yorkshire village for a huge 22 years. During that time he has been at the centre of many dramatic storylines, including discovering his "uncle" Zak Dingle is actually his father, and a feud with Al Chapman that led to his son Kyle shooting Al dead.
In his many years on the show, Cain has become a huge favourite with soap fans. But despite being so popular, actor Jeff recently shared fears that Cain will be replaced.
READ MORE: Emmerdale Christmas spoilers as a forgotten character returns to the village
Ahead of new episodes that will see him reunited with half-brother Caleb Dingle, Jeff told the Express he worried producers were trying to "replace him with a younger Dingle".
He said: "Initially, I'll be honest I thought, 'They're bringing in a younger Dingle, what are they doing that for? Are they trying to replace me?' Because you always get a little bit protective about your character when they bring in a similar character."
Well-connected, successful businessman Caleb will be played by Will Ash.
Jeff continued: "But then when I found out it was Will , I thought, 'This is the best thing that could have happened'. It feels as if Caleb has been here for a long time.
"The characters are written so well. He's got a charm and Will brings that across really beautifully in it. Cain does have a connection with him. He doesn't like it but you can see that he also finds something he wants to connect with."
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