Emmerdale actress Beth Cordingly has issued a warning to fans of the ITV soap

Emmerdale’s Beth Cordingly has sung praises for her on-screen dad and the show’s latest baddie, Nicholas Day, who’s been causing a stir in the village as Anthony Fox.

Day, joining the ITV serial in 2024 as Ruby Fox-Miligan’s long-lost father, had fans puzzled at first as to why his daughter Ruby seemed scared stiff whenever he was around. It was only through intense flashbacks that it dropped that Ruby had suffered sexual abuse at his hands.

In gripping recent episodes, the truth came tumbling out, and we learnt that Anthony wasn’t just a grandad figure to Steph but her real father, following a dark history of abuse with Ruby. When Caleb uncovered the grim reality, he dragged Anthony for a tense game of Russian roulette in a remote barn – though Anthony walked away unscathed this time, Aaron Dingle wasn’t having any of it and confronted the vile man post-haste, seeking justice for his wrongdoings.

We’ve all been given a sneak peek that Anthony’s going to get his dues – they’ve shown us his body lying on the ground in a flashforward. Yet, now his dirty secrets are out in the open, there’s no saying who exactly puts an end to him, with quite a queue of potential avengers forming up behind him.

Recalling his first days on Emmerdale, Nicholas Day shared: “I’ve been made so welcome in the Emmerdale family. My screen family is great to work with, the scenes just fly. No kidding – I feel blessed.”, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Beth Cordingly, who plays the role of Beth in Emmerdale, has taken to Instagram to heap praise on her co-star Nicholas Day for his portrayal of the “extremely challenging” character Anthony Fox. Sharing a series of photos featuring herself, Nicholas, William Ash (Caleb), and Georgia Jay (Steph), she wrote: “In case anyone is under any illusions I just want to stress what a beautiful man Nick Day is, in real life. We were very lucky to have an actor of his calibre and talent playing my father, Anthony, in Emmerdale. It wasn’t an easy role for anyone to take on and he found playing this person extremely challenging.”

She continued: “I loved working with Nick, we all did. It was an emotional experience requiring a lot of trust and a lot of love. He’s a gem. If you see him in the street please remember he’s NOT Anthony. I’m sure you all will – so forgive me for sounding patronising – I just wanted to say. Sometimes, as actors, we need a little bit of protection when we put ourselves out there telling difficult stories that need to be told. (red heart)” Danny Miller (Aaron) responded to the post with a playful comment: “How’ve you missed me out of these pictures? ? ? ? ” to which Beth replied: ” I didn’t TAKE THEM! ! ! “.

The actor’s performance was met with high praise from fans on social media. One user, @webkinny, commented: “He played the part really well. A great actor. Lovely pictures of you all”, while another, @kimehiggs, added: “He played a very good part I cannot imagine it was enjoyable for him. A good actor is someone doing their job properly.”

Further appreciation came from @fme1813 who said: “So nice of you to say this. I echo what many have said. I hated Anthony, he made my skin crawl. Proving what a fantastic and brave actor Nick Day is, it can’t be easy to play a character like this. Another hard hitting storyline done well.”