Emmerdale star Natalie J Robb has issued a denial message to fans after they made a new prediction about her character Moira Dingle. And it appears she knew exactly what viewers would be thinking as the actress made the comments during a preview of her latest scenes earlier this month.
Natalie, who joined the ITV soap back in 2009, was chatting to the Manchester Evening News and other press about how the arrival of her character's husband's long-lost brother, Caleb, may rock the boat as the family continued to hide a deep, dark secret. As viewers know, Cain is currently banged up for a crime he didn't commit after taking the wrap for his son, Kyle.
Viewers were initially led to believe that Cain, played by Jeff Hordley, had killed his former enemy in cold blood, however, a flashback episode revealed that 10-year-old Kyle, played by Huey Quinn, was the one who really shot Al when the panicked youngster caught the pair fighting and feared for his dad.
Cain has since pleaded guilty to the murder and is waiting for his sentence but over Christmas, his life of secrets came back to haunt him as Caleb showed up on Christmas Day after Cain finally agreed to see him - over 30 years after they last saw each other.
It was revealed that Caleb, played by William Ash, is Cain and Chas' half-brother as they share the same mum, Faith, who died in heartbreaking scenes in October. A Boxing Day flashback showed how Cain and Caleb first came to meet.
But despite Cain's warnings to stay away, Caleb has since met his sister and has been introduced to many members of his extended family. During Tuesday night's trip to the Dales, Emmerdale fans saw Caleb pay Moira a visit.
He hoped she would give him some tips on how to win Cain round. But after he first faced a grilling from her brother Mackenzie about his 'creepy' decision to send anonymous gifts before his arrival, Moira told him she wasn't willing to go against his husband's wishes.
Caleb shared how he liked Moira and respected her loyalty to his brother and it didn't take viewers long to flock to social media to predict an affair for the pair, particularly because of Moira's past after she had a fling with Cain's son, Nate.
But Natalie, who has played Moira for more than ten years, rubbished the prospect weeks before viewers saw the latest scenes. "That's not on the cards at all," she said when teased about her character's past. "At this stage she doesn't see anything like that.
"She's quite pleased now that he's got more of an extended family, also because of the relationship she's had with Faith. So it's quite nice to know there's that connection there." Natalie added: "So that's not on the cards and hopefully she's got a clean slate now. I'm sure there will be plenty of other women on the cards for him!"
When it was suggested that Moira's trying to mend her relationship with Cain, Natalie quipped: "She's often reminded of it [the affair] as well. Often... so she knows to keep a clean slate." But she will be quick to use Caleb to her advantage.
"She wants her husband back and [Caleb] does explain to her that because of Kyle's age and that it was accidental, he could get off with it completely but the fact is, if Cain keeps saying what he's saying he'll go down for life and she just can't cope."
She added: "And the thing about Moira is, she always tries to keep her family together. She might go astray but she wants her family together as much as she can and she is fiercely protective and that has never changed for her entire time on the show."
But Natalie did cheekily quip: "We all well know that she's got quite a good sexual appetite so..." before jokingly calling out: "Caleb..."
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