Cain Dingle in Emmerdale deals with major turns on screen while in-real-life actor Jeff Hordley goes through a tough journey off-screen. Hordley’s life is just as complicated as his character, from being diagnosed with painful Crohn’s disease to raising a child with his co-star wife, Zoë Henry.
While Cain deals with problems in his family, Jeff’s own problems and successes give the actor’s story more meaning. In this behind-the-scenes look, we realise how fiction and truth mix in the most thrilling way. Do you want to know more about Cain’s off-camera life? Continue Reading!
Here Is How Emmerdale Bosses Made Parenting Easier For Jeff And Zoë
Jeff Hordley (Cain Dingle) has had a complex life, both off and on screen. The Dingles’ ever-complicated family life has been especially rocky lately, with Cain’s half-brother Caleb Milligan sharing two passionate kisses with Tracy Metcalfe, the wife of his nephew Nate Robinson. Cain almost caught the duo kissing outside The Woolpack toilets at his birthday celebration this week. As Cain in the show suspects Caleb and Tracy’s sudden closeness, let’s have a look at actor Jeff’s life beyond the camera.
Jeff and Zoë, who portrays vet Rhona Goskirk in Emmerdale, got married in the summer of 2003 and had two children: Violet Ava in 2005 and Stan in 2008. Having children and working on the same show was definitely a challenge for them both. However, Emmerdale bosses made it a bit easier by shooting Cain and Rhona’s stories at different times so they could share parenting duties.
In a previous interview with Lorraine Kelly, Zoe revealed: “We often do line learning together. This time, Jeff’s been amazing. He’s just taking the weight of what’s going on at home. Obviously, we’ve got two kids, two dogs, we’ve got an allotment and he’s just managing all of that. He’s about to get busy as I sort of quieten down, so we’ll swap the baton then.”
Jeff’s Heartbreaking Diagnosis, Shares About Zoe’s Love & Support
Jeff began showing signs of Crohn’s Disease at 20 but wasn’t diagnosed until just before his 26th birthday. He previously thought he had IBS. Jeff was especially upset by this diagnosis because his mother died from it when he was nine. In a 2015 Mirror column, Jeff wrote, “Being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in a hospital bed was one of my scariest moments. My mother died of the same condition when I was nine.” Jeff shared that the first thought that struck him was, “Am I going to die?”
Jeff informed that at 25, while in his final year of theatre school, his ‘episodes of horrible stomach cramps and vomiting’ deteriorated, forcing him to plummet from 12 stone to nine stone. He added: “I was a young boy when mother died in 1979, but I now know she died from a surgery complication. Jeff’s doctors assured him that things had moved on, and it’s now treated with steroids and anti-inflammatories to calm the bowel and prevent damage. He said that he was advised to have surgery to remove the diseased big bowel.
Although the Emmerdale actor was anxious about his then-girlfriend Zoë Henry’s reaction, she was incredibly supportive. He expressed, “Zoë and I were together for 18 months after meeting at acting school. I worried about her reaction. She was brilliant and said, ‘Listen, this is going to be OK.” Jeff and Zoe’s journey is really wholesome, isn’t it? Sending them even more love and strength. Would you be interested in reading about the behind-the-camera stories of more stars as well? So, the TV Season & Spoilers is your one-stop destination for more such stories and the fastest Emmerdale updates!