Emmerdale’s Moira Dingle star unrecognisable in forgotten EastEnders role

The actress, 49, has been at the centre of some of the most scandalous storylines in the Yorkshire Dales – but she once joined in with the drama over on Albert Square.

Emmerdale is currently embroiled in a dramatic plotline as a fire erupts in a barn on Moira Dingle’s farm. The farmer, in a state of confusion, accidentally spills tractor fuel on the barn floor while being taunted by the smug Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly).

In the ensuing chaos, Moira (Natalie Robb) fired a warning shot from her gun, which hit a light bulb and sparked a flame. A heated altercation resulted in Moira striking Ruby on the head, leaving her dazed and disoriented.

As the fire engulfs the barn, an explosion looms – but will Moira and Ruby live to recount their ordeal? Since Natalie joined the ITV soap as Moira in 2009, she has been at the centre of numerous scandalous storylines, with the barn fire being the latest addition.

**Moira Dingle is in deadly danger** (Image: ITV/Emmerdale)

However, before her arrival in the Dales, the well-liked actress had previously stirred up drama on rival soap EastEnders and was a regular on Take the High Road during her earlier years, reports the Express.

As a youngster, Natalie, now 49, attended weekend drama groups in Glasgow where she was spotted by director Alan Macmillan. She later studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

At nine years old, she made her screen debut in an STV docudrama alongside Tom Conti, according to Nottinghamshire Live.

By her teenage years, she had already received the BBC Young Entertainer of the Year award on the children’s TV show, Going Live!

**Natalie once played Max Branning’s lover in EastEnders** (Image: (Image: BBC))

Natalie was propelled into the spotlight when she landed the role of Trish McDonald in the Scottish soap opera Take the High Road. The ITV soap, which aired from 1980 to 2003, followed the lives of residents in the rural Scottish village of Glendarroch. Her stint on the show ran from 1991 to 1998.

In 2006, Natalie made a brief appearance in EastEnders as Gemma Clewes – the mistress of Walford’s notorious womaniser Max Branning (Jake Wood).

Her soap career didn’t stop there, as she also starred as Dr. Jude Carlyle in Doctors from 2001 until 2004. She then joined the cast of crime drama The Bill as PS Andrea Dunbar until 2005.

**Natalie Robb pictured in 1996 when she starred in Take the High Road** (Image: Daily Record)

Over the years, Natalie has featured in several other long-standing TV shows, including Waterloo Road, London’s Burning, Where The Heart Is, Dream Team, and Holby City.

Aside from acting, Natalie has also dabbled in music. She was once a member of the band The Kinky, and in 1997, she released a track titled Keep Your Love with dance group Partizan.

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.