Vanessa Woodfield made a big return to Emmerdale at the end of last year, and she's back with a bang.
The character, played by Michelle Hardwick, made her debut in the soap in 2012 when she was hired by Rhona Goskirk, an old friend from university, to work as a locum. Since then, the village vet has been held hostage by murderer Pierce Harris, given birth to a son after a one-night stand and battled bowel cancer.
Vanessa left the Dales in May 2020, after finding out her girlfriend Charity Dingle had kissed Mackenzie. But in real life, Michelle was on maternity leave, reports the Manchester Evening News.
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Since December, Vanessa has settled back into the village and has even got a new love interest in newcomer Suzy - leaving many fans disappointed she didn't reunite with Charity.
The course of romance never runs smoothly in soap-land, though, and Suzy seems to be hiding a dark past. Thankfully for Michelle, things are much better in her own love life department.
The 46-year-old is happily married to Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks, and is mum to son Teddy. The pair had been dating for a while before they announced their romance in September 2017, months after Michelle's split from ex-wife Rosie.
Michelle and her ex-wife dated for three years before saying 'I Do' in April 2015. But Michelle revealed they had split a year later in 2016 but were to "remain good friends". Speaking to the Daily Star in 2017, Michelle said she had kept the break-up secret from her Emmerdale castmates until they spotted she wasn't wearing her wedding ring.
She said "It was one of those unfortunate things where we did drift apart. We had the big fairytale wedding and I still love that day, it was brilliant. It’s just really sad and one of those things that happen."
Michelle then announced her new relationship on National Coming Out Day. Sharing a black and white image of herself and her girlfriend wrapped up warm in coats and hats, she wrote: "It will all work out in the end #behappy #nationalcomingoutday #loveislove @thekatebrooks."
But Michelle and Kate ditched a big wedding in the UK and kept their nuptials just between the two of them, flying off to Elvis Presley's iconic Graceland in Memphis, before confirming their marriage by posting pictures of their big day on Instagram.
The couple now share their one-year-old son, Teddy, after Michelle gave birth in October 2020. She announced their baby boy's safe arrival with a black and white snap on Instagram which showed Michelle beaming in her hospital bed with the little boy snuggled beside her wrapped in a towel and wearing a knitted hat.
Michelle recently told OK Magazine: "When Teddy is 18 he can find out who his dad is and we’d massively back him. I’d love to meet him just to say, 'Thank you so much for allowing us to be parents and giving us the most beautiful little boy.'"
As part of their IVF journey, the couple chose the donor to be Teddy's biological dad after reading about the characteristics of the candidates, their family life and values. Michelle carried the baby while Kate donated the egg.
Michelle came out in 2013 and has spoken out about the horrific trolling and death threats she has received. "The root of it all is always because I’m gay, I’m a gay woman. And it’s like, ‘Lesbians shouldn’t be on this Earth, just burn in hell and die,'" Michelle told OK!
Kate, 39, also shared her shock. "It’s all pretty horrific, isn’t it? The majority of people are really wonderful and supportive, but, you know, as great as social media can be, there is this real dark side to it as well."
Prior to landing the role of Vanessa in Emmerdale, Michelle had notable roles in Heartbeat and Coronation Street. In the ITV soap, the Leeds-born star played two different role - Sheila Dixon in 1997 and Naomi Russell in 1998.
Her biggest role, however, came when she was cast as receptionist Lizzie Hopkirk (Kennoway) in ITV series The Royal, the 1960s-set hospital drama which was a spin-off from Heartbeat and soon gathered popularity on its own account. In 2012, she also had a minor role in Hollyoaks as D.I. Parker, who arrested established character Mitzeee, played by Rachel Shenton.
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