Emmerdale fans have been left gobsmacked after Anthony and Ruby clashed in an eye-watering showdown sparked by him finding out about Caleb’s affair with Tracy.

Emmerdale newcomer Anthony (Nicholas Day) confirmed his dark side as he made demands towards Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly) in a tense showdown.

As fans of the ITV soap will know, terminally ill Anthony recently rocked up to the village wanting to make amends with his estranged daughter after decades apart. In a bid to keep her own daughter Steph (Georgia Jay) close to her, Ruby reluctantly agreed to let Anthony stay in the Dales.

Caleb Miligan (William Ash) also appeared to want his wife Ruby to build a new relationship with her dad and give him a chance, but Caleb’s hopes of a happy family have now been dashed.

During Tuesday’s episode (December 10), Anthony turned up at Mill Cottage in a foul mood, having discovered Caleb’s affair with Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh).

Caleb appeared unbothered by his father-in-law’s fury and warned him off with the prospect of violence.

Later, Anthony bumped into Ruby in the café and wasted no time demanding that she dump her husband for his betrayal.

Taking her husband’s side, Ruby confessed Caleb’s affair wasn’t one-sided as Anthony demanded she has “self-respect.”

In a tense exchange that left Ruby looking upset, he also snapped at her to remain seated while he quizzed her about her marriage.

Anthony’s fierce tone and harsh words sparked fury among Emmerdale viewers, who are convinced the character has a much darker side that explains Ruby’s estrangement. Taking to X, one person wrote: “Anthony is showing his true colours to Ruby!!! #Emmerdale.”

A second stated: “Ruby’s dad showing his nasty side to Ruby again. #Emmerdale @emmerdale.”

A third exclaimed: “The more I see Ruby’s dad the more I wanna puke #emmerdale.”

“#Emmerdale as if Ruby would just sit there like a wee kid when Anthony snapped at her to “sit down”. Shed have been out the door,” suggested one fan.

“#Emmerdale if I was Ruby I’d slap that bad excuse for a dad”, added another.

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV and ITVX