Emmerdale’s Ruby star appeared in EastEnders and got beaten up by Shirley Carter

Emmerdale’s Ruby Fox-Milligan is no stranger to the soaps, having appeared as a cellmate of EastEnders’ Shirley Carter in 2017 in scenes that saw her beaten up

Emmerdale newcomer Beth Cordingly is no stranger to British soap having starred been a regular on our screens in since 2000.

The 47-year old made her name that year after being cast as troubled teenager Sara Warrington in Channel 5’s now defunct Family Affairs. She soon hit the big time with The Bill, before making appearances in Doctors and EastEnders.

Beth made an impact in Albert Square in 2017, despite only featuring in three episodes as Debbie Morton – a prisoner who was forced to share a cell with Shirley Carter, played by former Bad Girls star Linda Henry. The cameo saw character Debbie dangerously taunt Shirley after pouring her tobacco down the toilet.

Later, after overhearing Shirley’s sister that their mum Sylvie has died, Debbie teased her cellmate further about her feelings, resulting in Shirley beating her up.

Now, the actress will be hoping for more soap headlines having arrived as Ruby Fox-Milligan – the ex-wife Caleb Milligan (Will Ash). The fiery character is looking to sort out the final details of their divorce, with fans already predicting a future with bad boy, Cain Dingle after admitting to him she “heard a lot” about him as he was discharged from hospital.

Last week Beth opened up on her romance with another man very familiar to the Dales – Ian Kelsey, who starred as Dave Glover in the 1990s and famously had an on-screen affair with Kim Tate (Claire King). The pair hooked up in 2021, but had known each other for two decades.

Beth said that she was “very happy” in her relationship with Ian, and added that he remains very fond of the crew at the soap. She joked that he still knows everyone there, over 25 years since he was last on the set of the soap. She told the Mirror: “I am very in love with Ian and very happy. I think it really does work with him being an actor too – he has been so fantastic!”

“He knows a lot of the crew and cast and so it’s lovely to be able to share what I’ve been up to, knowing he understands. That’s important when you are away and he is always keen to find out how filming has gone each day.”

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On joining the Emmerdale cast, Beth told ITV: “I’m delighted to be joining the cast of Emmerdale, it’s an enormous privilege and Ruby is a dream role. She’s a firecracker and a trouble-maker and I think people will love her or hate her, and I can’t wait to get stuck in with this fabulous cast.”

Producer Kate Brooks added: “Ruby is an absolute force of nature who sweeps through the village with scores to settle. Fiercely loyal to her family, Ruby will do anything and everything to protect her loved ones. Her relationship with Caleb is infused with intense passion that manifests itself as the ultimate volatile relationship. Ruby is a character who pulls no punches and always makes an impression. We’re delighted to welcome Beth to the show and we’re sure she’ll make a wonderful addition to the village.”