An awkward family reunion is set to take place in Emmerdale as Ruby Fox-Miligan will come face to face with her estranged father Anthony. Here’s what you need to know.

Ruby Fox-Miligan’s sad past will be revisited as her father Anthony is due to appear in Emmerdale with her estranged daughter Stephanie.

The troublemaker portrayed by Beth Cordingly has recently had to wave goodbye to one of her children, her son Nicky, as the hunk decided to leave the ITV village for pastures new with his boyfriend Suni Sharma.

But in a huge twist, and amid theories Stephanie may already be in the village, Ruby’s father Anthony will make a bombshell arrival in the village with actor Nicholas Day taking on the new role in the Yorkshire-based programme.

Charismatic Anthony will make his soap debut later on this month as it will become clear he has mellowed in his old age but tensions with Ruby will soon be reignited, particularly after the death of Ruby’s mother.

Ruby’s mother Helen recently passed away in Emmerdale – how will it affect her relationship with her father Anthony? (Image: ITV)

As viewers of the long-running show will remember, Ruby was summoned to hospital to visit her sick mother in scenes aired in October, 2024. But when she arrived, she was told Helen had drawn her last breath minutes earlier. Prior to Helen’s death, the ailing woman had payed Caleb (Will Ash) a visit, demanding to know more about Stephanie, his long-lost daughter.

We learned more about what led to Ruby being separated for her family, after previous hints they did not approve of Caleb. Caleb revealed Ruby had fallen pregnant, either with Nicky or Stephanie, and that Helen and her husband tried to force Ruby to have an abortion.

When Ruby refused, Helen and Ruby’s father disowned her and kicked her out, sending her packing. Ruby and Caleb began their new lives together welcoming their baby, before going on to have a second child.

Though tensions are to be expected due to Ruby’s complicated relationship with her parents, some viewers may be pleased to see Nicholas Day venture into soapland, after becoming a familiar face on the box.

After studying at Bristol University, Nicholas began his acting career on stage with regional theatre and joined the National Theatre, before bagging his first TV role in 1977. Nicholas continued to bag roles on the big and small screens and eventually secured himself a regular role in The Lakes as Mr Archer.

Since then, Nicholas has appeared in an array of different projects on the box, from The Bill to Midsomer Murders. Some of his TV credits also include Doctors, Poirot and Netflix’s The Crown, where he portrayed former MP Jim Prior.

Elsewhere, actress Georgia Jay will be joining the Emmerdale line-up as Ruby and Caleb’s estranged daughter. Smart and confident, it will become clear that Stephanie has inherited both of her parents’ worst and best traits as her recklessness and narcissistic need to win at all costs may ruffle a few feathers in the Dales. But how will her reunion with her parents play out, particularly after ten years of estrangement? And how will she react to her brother Nicky’s departure from the village?