Natalie J Robb has told Radio Times of the uncertain future ahead for Moira Dingle after being released from prison.
The beloved Emmerdale character was facing charges of human trafficking and double murder, though finally walked free in today’s instalment of the ITV soap.
Viewers watched in horror as Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) blackmailed Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) into planting passports belonging to Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray Walters’s (Joe Absolom) enslaved workers in her living room, in a bid to take control of her homestead, Butler’s Farm.
Moira stood firm – she wasn’t going to sign over her share, but the news of husband Cain’s (Jeff Hordley) prostate cancer diagnosis made her realise that the failing business was only putting more pressure on him.
Joe installed Robert as tenant farmer, and he renamed the land ‘Emmerdale Farm’ in a nod to the Sugden family’s agricultural legacy.
Cain was left with no choice but to launch his own venture at Wishing Well Cottage, something which might not sit easy with Moira in the coming weeks.
“There’ll be bumps along the way and she might not like her surroundings,” Robb teased.
“I was actually sad to learn Butler’s Farm would be no more. For 17 years, they’ve been my roots. And it did feel like I was uprooted.
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“There was kind of just rumours in the mill about it, and then I found out that was the case, and I just thought, ‘Sad.’ But, you know, all good things can come to an end, and the way you have to look at it is kind of all the way I did personally, because you do feel a wee bit attached.”
When Robb joined the show in 2009, Moira and first husband John Barton (James Thornton) moved into Butler’s alongside their three children. It’s been the backdrop for the majority of the actress’s scenes, including the death of daughter Holly (Sophie Powles).
“That’s where my [Moira’s] family were,” Robb continued, “That’s where it all started for me.”
“Plus, we love working on that set, because it’s just a lovely set to work with. With the cameras, it’s quite open, and there’s a nice space in it when there’s quite a few of us in there.
“I’ve been there from day dot, and I think it’s a bit weird. But then you have to look at the other things, and then that can facilitate new stories and everything else.”
Holly was buried on Butler’s land, and in a further devastating blow to Cain, he discovered that Joe had ordered the destruction of her memorial.
Moira was heartbroken to see that the tree beside her grave had been felled, though took comfort in the fact Cain was stood by her side supporting her. The two are putting on a united front – and certainly won’t let the Tates see them suffer.
On their complex relationship, Robb added: “They’re like a proper couple, really taking out the frustrations out on each other. But it is ultimately a love story.
“They just don’t want to be without each other. Their love runs a lot deeper now than it ever used to.”
But how will Moira settle in with the wider Dingle clan?
“She definitely sees herself as a Dingle, without a doubt,” she explained.
“It’s all about family with Moira, it always has been. And the Dingles are very much about the family as well. At first, I think she may butt against it a bit. I always say, ‘Oh, she’s been Dingle-fied.'”
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Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.
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