Emmerdale fans couldn't help but be distracted as they noticed a new character from another soap. During Tuesday night's (July 12) edition of the ITV soap, viewers finally discovered the real reason for Sandra Flaherty's return following her reunion with daughter Liv last week.
Sandra was last seen in the Leeds-based programme last year when she reunited with her daughter at a caravan park in Wales as her alcohol addiction spiralled. The two continued to drink together throughout the reunion before Sandra panicked when she witnessed Liv suffering a seizure.
Her brother Aaron, who had tracked Liv down, explained that Liv had epilepsy and Sandra realised she was not fit to look after Liv and told her to return to the village. Since then, after a hard battle, Liv managed to get herself sober and reunite with boyfriend Vinny Dingle, who is now her husband.
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And it's is fair to say he wasn't best pleased with Sandra's arrival as she begged her daughter to help her ditch the booze and get on the straight and narrow. While they did, gently, send her packing, Liv and pal Gabby Thomas later found Sandra drunk in the graveyard, trampling over Ashley Thomas' grave.
Liv fell for Sandra’s act and ended up inviting her to stay with her. But her true reasons for being back in Liv's life were revealed in the latest trip to the Dales when newcomer Terry showed up as he stormed into their home and demanded his money, to which Liv offered to pay him off with her own money.
Later, Liv met with Terry and paid him the money, with him admitting he was "glad to see the back of" Sandra while she said it was a relief to get him off her back. But it was all a rouse as at the end of the episode, it was revealed that Sandra and Terry were in cahoots as they split the £4,000 between themselves.
And it appears Sandra's plans to con her daughter aren't stopping there as she remarked: "If this goes according to plan, I'll rinse that girl for everything she's got!"
Emmerdale viewers, however, were distracted as they realised they had seen Terry, played by Neil Bell, before. @BeeE2002 tweeted: "I recognise Terry from somewhere #Emmerdale." @deanobeanos commented: "Terry's been someone dodgy before here or corrie I think #Emmerdale." @teamkinGZioN replied: "Deffo, he's def familiar. I came on to see if anyone else recognised him."
@JamieTVandNews asked: "Is Terry the gay gangster from #Corrie? #Emmerdale," and they would be right. Neil, 53, played Mick Chaney, the ex-boyfriend of Todd Grimsahw in Coronation Street between 2020 to 2021. And in 2001 and 2008 he also appeared in an episode of Corrie as two separate characters before returning in 2011 playing Billy Matheson.
But that's not all he has been in. The Oldham-born actor has also had roles in season 3 of Downton Abbey and in 2013 he played Harry Fenton in Peaky Blinders. More recently, Neil played a police officer in the 2020 Netflix film Enola Holmes and Sardaukar Bashar in the 2021 blockbuster film Dune.
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