Emmerdale's Georgia Jay teases Steph's heartbreak amid 'traumatic' family discovery

Steph Miligan is gearing up for heartbreak in the Dales, as her search for her missing grandfather opens up a whole can of worms.

While her folks Ruby and Caleb Miligan (played by Beth Cordingly and William Ash) have made their home in Emmerdale, Steph's diving into her very first juicy plotline.

It’s set to be a corker: she uncovers that Anthony, fresh on the scene since November, is her biological father. Emmerdale viewers uncovered the truth ahead of time as Ruby resorted to a DNA test in recent scenes of the ITV soap. Sent away to boarding school, young Steph has never known about the dark secret lurking behind her strained relationship with her parents.

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Actress Georgia Jay, who rocked up to the famous village alongside her villainous on-screen grandad, teases that Steph's sharp instincts are about to unearth this ghastly secret, and it's going to send ripples through the show.

"She’s not stupid – she picks up on the tension and the awkward glances between Ruby and Caleb, the half-finished sentences", spills Georgia. "They’re always shutting up the moment she comes into a room. She feels frustrated because she knows something is going on that is being kept from her."

In recent episodes, fans watched as child sex abuse survivor Aaron Dingle (played by Danny Miller) assaulted Anthony (portrayed by Nicholas Day) after uncovering his paedophile history. Later, he returned to the scene with his boyfriend John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) and discovered that Anthony had died, presumably from his injuries.

However, instead of seeking help, ex-soldier John got rid of Anthony’s body. Unaware that her grandfather is dead, Steph is hell-bent on finding out what happened to him.

She leaves no stone unturned and eventually uncovers the shocking truth about her origins in dramatic scenes. This revelation sends shockwaves through Steph’s sense of self and relationships.

"She feels completely lost when she finds out – it shatters the foundation of her identity and leaves her questioning everything, about who she is and where she sits in the world."

"She feels betrayed, ashamed, angry and, at the same time, just in total despair for herself and her mother. She’s carrying the weight of her mother’s pain and trauma. It’s going to be a really rocky road for Steph in terms of this whole identity being shattered."

Georgia suggests that this could lead to a mental health crisis for Steph as she grapples with her new reality. "I think with anybody that finds out, it’s a trauma. Many sufferers go through PTSD and other forms of mental struggles and I think that Steph will go through a few of those."

Hopeful for Steph's future, Georgia hints at a new beginning for the Miligans. "I see this as the making of a true family because it’s all been built on a foundation of lies. It’ll be a long road but I do think they’ll build a family that’s really, really strong and built on trust."

She also spilled the beans about how Steph’s relationship with Ross Barton (played by Michael Parr) might encounter some bumps, revealing that their once "fun and carefree" romance could face challenges due to Steph's struggles.

"What’s going to happen now is that it doesn’t stay easy for them because of everything Steph is going through. That side of their relationship will take a hiatus for a bit. And that’s when I think the relationship will grow and deepen because they’re able to be vulnerable with each other and they haven’t done that yet."

Georgia is committed to portraying this heavy plotline with integrity, sharing how she has consulted extensively with the team behind the scenes. "As an actor, it is an intense challenge and I just want to do this right and authentically, so I worked closely with the directors, producers, researchers, everything... just to ensure it’s handled with sensitivity."

She underlines the importance of the storyline, saying, "Because, at the end of the day, it opens up an essential conversation about abuse and incest, which are very sadly very real issues in today’s world. It’s an incredibly heavy storyline."

Actors Beth Cordingly and William Ash have also made a significant impact on the storyline, assisting her in addressing a heart-wrenching subject. Georgia gushes: "Beth and Will have been incredible. They’re so talented and they bring so much depth to their characters, which I just feel makes our scenes together feel very real,"

She adds: "They’ve both given me so much support since I’ve started, especially when we’ve been working on those intense scenes. It’s been amazing because on and off-screen we’ve built a lovely bond, which I think helps translate those complicated mother and daughter moments." But what's next for Ruby and Steph's relationship?