Emmerdale star Jeff Hordley has paid tribute to his late co-star Steve Halliwell this week, as he picked up an award for Best Actor at the TV Choice Awards.
The actor, who plays Cain Dingle on Emmerdale, was crowned Best Actor for his performance. This is the first time that the ITV soap has picked up a TV Choice Award since 2022.
And, as a proud Jeff picked up his award, he used the opportunity to pay tribute to his late on-screen father, Steve Halliwell.
Jeff Hordley pays tribute to ‘much-loved’ Steve Halliwell
Speaking to Metro.co.uk at the TV Choice Awards after winning an award for ‘Best Soap Actor’, Jeff revealed the impact of losing Steve.
“Sadly we lost Steve Halliwell before Christmas. And that’s been a real blow to us because he’s such an important figure in our show,” Jeff said.
He continued: “Not just on screen but behind the scenes he was a much-loved man and really influenced us as actors and showed us how to behave and also how to have fun and do the job properly.”
He went on to recall his memories of working with Steve, who he described as a ‘mentor.’
On his favourite memories of Steve, Jeff said: “Just him mentoring me, just mentoring me and teaching me how to be a better actor.”
Emmerdale continues in the wake of immense loss
Steve sadly died at the age of 77 last December (2023). He played Zak Dingle on the soap since 1994.
In the show, Zak is currently said to be spending time in Scotland with granddaughter Debbie. Most recently, he sent a message to daughter Belle ahead of her wedding.
He was also referenced recently as Lydia caught Kim scrubbing the floor with a pair of, uh, Zak’s old undies.
Viewers can expect news of Zak’s passing to reach the soap later this year, when real life finally catches up to the soap’s shooting schedule.
Read more:Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2024?
Emmerdale usually airs on weekdays at 7.30pm, with an hour long episode on Thursdays.
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