Emmerdale’s Vinny has been a member of the Dingle clan since arriving in 2019, but actor Bradley Johnson’s life couldn’t be more different as he is set to become a first time dad
The Dingles have taken centre stage in Emmerdale over the past week as the iconic family bid Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell) an emotional goodbye.
Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) formed part of the procession and helped carry patriarch Zak’s coffin into The Woolpack before he was buried.
This is the second significant death for Vinny in two years as his wife Liv Dingle (Isobel Steele) was crushed to death by a caravan after she was caught up in the terrifying winds.
In all, Vinny has had a distressing time in the village since arriving in 2019 including being a potential target for violent villain Tom King (James Chase) after he stuck up for abused Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper).
Vinny became an honorary Dingle after he was abandoned by his dad Paul Ashdale (Reece Dinsdale) and raised by Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) – who was at one time Paul’s girlfriend. He may not officially be blood related to the brood but Vinny is considered one of their own.
The polite and soft-natured character can often be at odds with Mandy over her dodgy antics, but thinks of her as his mum – although his biological mother is still out there somewhere.
But away from the long running ITV soap, Bradley Johnson leads a very normal life in comparison to his altar ego Vinny Dingle.
Secret talent
Along with playing Vinny in Emmerdale, Bradley, 26, starred in Shameless, The Royal, and The Syndicate. He also has performed on-stage in Peter Pan and Oliver!.
The soap star shot to fame in 2017 when he took part in the BBC talent show Let it Shine, which searched for the new cast of the Take That musical. Bradley won himself a place in the final where he gave an incredible performance.
Fans of the talent show were blown away by Bradley’s audition, where he sang Bring Him Home from the musical Les Misérables, which also went viral across online platforms.
He has shown off his incredible singing voice on Emmerdale’s YouTube channel, The Woolpack Session, and regularly shares acoustic covers on his Instagram page.
Family life
Bradley and his sweetheart Sammie Johnstone have been an item since August 2021. In October 2023, Bradley confirmed that he had proposed to Sammie and she said yes, although a date for their wedding is yet to be publicly confirmed.
In June 2024, Bradley announced that he and his fiancée are expecting their first child together.
Bradley shared a snap of a heart-shaped cake with the words, ‘Baby coming December 2024’, written across the top of it.
The soap star also uploaded Polaroid pictures of the parents-to-be holding up their ultrasound scan and a baby grow.
He simply captioned the picture: ‘Mum and Dad’, alongside a red heart emoji. Bradley’s ITV co-stars quickly rushed to the comments to congratulate the couple.
Natalie Ann Jamieson, who plays Amy Wyatt on Emmerdale, wrote: “OMG baby bradders!!! Congrats you gorgeous pair, couldn’t be happier for you x x x.”
Kevin Mathurin, who portrays Charles Anderson on the show, wrote: “Congratulations guys.”
Dean Andrews, who plays Will Taylor said: “Mate, I could not be happier for you both. Massive congrats.”
Lisa Riley, who plays Bradley’s on-screen mum Mandy Dingle gushed: “LOVE YOU BOTH SO SO SO SO MUCH. at long long last I can tell everyone-you are both going to be the absolute BEST!!! YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! so excited!!!! I’ve said congratulations to you both over a hundred times.”
Bradley might be loved up with new fiancée Sammie, but he was once rumoured to be dating his co-star Isobel Steele, who played Liv Dingle on the ITV soap until her character’s tragic death in a terrible storm.
Touching on speculation, Isobel once said: “Brad is wonderful and such a good friend of mine. We are very similar and work really well together when we have scenes just us two”, reports OK!.
She added: “I can see why people jumped to conclusions, seeing two characters spending time together on and off-screen! For the record, me and Brad are not in a relationship. We are just very good friends who enjoy each other’s company out of work as well as in work.”
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV and ITVX
