Emmerdale viewers were shocked and heartbroken when Moira Barton recently rejected her son Matty.
He returned home after several years away and, during that time, had transitioned from female Hannah to male Matty.
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Although Moira recognised her child straight away, she couldn’t accept him and threw him out of the house – leaving Matty and viewers upset.
During Monday’s episode (25 June), Matty returned to the village in a bid to retrieve his birth certificate.
Not feeling ready to reveal everything to his mum, however, he broke into the house and was caught by stepdad Cain.
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Ash Palmisciano, who has joined the ITV soap as Matty, tells Digital Spy: “She greets him with, ‘Hannah, what have you done?’.
“She’s really confused. She can’t really work out what’s happened. She knows her child looks different, and she’s completely baffled.”
Many fans felt uncomfortable as they watched Moira continue to use the name Hannah and eventually turned her son away, saying that he would confuse little brother Isaac.
Ash explains her shock, adding: “It is the first time they’ve spoken in five years. It’s all shock, it’s all high emotion.”
But he’s hopeful that Matty and Moira will be able to resolve their issues.
“Obviously I really hope that they do,” he said. “I think it would be a beautiful story if they did.
“I am about for a bit, but let’s just say it’s not an overnight thing. It’s not easy.”
Moira feels that “Matty’s let her down”. But it’s not just about keeping the transition a secret, it’s also because he was living so close but missed so many important family events.
She told her son: “You lied to me, again and again. The Hannah I knew wouldn’t have lied, and wouldn’t have cheated me out of all these years without telling me why.
“I’m trying really but all I can think is how awful you’ve been. You missed Holly’s funeral, I had to come to you when Adam was on the run. You knew I really needed you and you still stayed away when you were so close.”
Newcomer Ash is Emmerdale’s first regular transgender cast member.
Speaking about his arrival, Ash recently said: “I’m very excited to be joining the very welcoming Emmerdale family.
“From nervous auditions to now working alongside the team daily has been truly amazing.
“Matty’s a groundbreaking character to play and I can’t wait to see what’s ahead for him.”
Do you think Moira will eventually forgive Matty? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!