Emmerdale's Ryan Stocks star James Moore marries Sophie Edwards in emotional wedding he thought would never happen
Just days after their dream wedding, Emmerdale star James Moore and his wife Sophie Edwards are still processing what has been an incredibly emotional weekend. The actor, who plays Ryan Stocks on the ITV soap, tied the knot with special needs teacher Sophie in a “magical” ceremony at Cheltenham’s Manor by the Lake, surrounded by 100 friends, family and Emmerdale co-stars. A moment that James - who has cerebral palsy - feared would never happen for him.
“When James made his evening speech, he spoke about growing up with disability and how he thought he would never find love or a wife,” a tearful Sophie says. “That really tugged on everybody’s heartstrings because it just proves that love is there for absolutely everybody. It was one of my highlights of the day. His speech ruined me.” The happy couple are chatting to OK! from their Gloucester home, basking in their newlywed glow. “It feels surreal,” says James, 32. “It was so busy and so intense, it’s nice to have a bit of time to ourselves.”
James and Sophie, 27, tied the knot after five and half years together, having originally met on Bumble. “I joked in my speech at the wedding that we don’t tell people we met on a dating app,” he laughs. “We say we met through friends.” Sophie adds, “I didn’t know that James was disabled until he mentioned it and I didn’t know he was on Emmerdale until he said. I had to Google ‘Ryan Stocks Emmerdale.’ However, my mum is a big Emmerdale fan and she was ecstatic.”
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After proposing to Sophie while on a city break to Manchester, James and his bride-to-be spent the next two years planning their ideal autumnal wedding - and the pair knew exactly what they wanted. “My non-negotiable was having a bouncy castle,” Sophie says. “We wanted pumpkins. We knew we weren’t going to wear the traditional colours so my dress was blush and James’ suit was Dairy Milk purple.”
James adds, “We never wanted to be particularly traditional. I mean, my suit was blooming purple! It took me months to find.” James even put his own mark on the groom’s party by picking childhood friend Amy to be his best woman. “I’ve known Amy since we were teenagers - we were in that emo crowd that every town centre had in 2011,” he smiles. “We met in Cheltenham and she’s always been there for me. When I was picking people to be in my groom’s party, I thought, ‘Do I need to have a best man? Because Amy is my best friend so why can’t it be her?’”
From a Lego station where guests could make their own figurine to a donut wall inspired by the couple’s favourite show The Simpsons, James and Sophie enlisted the help of their family to make the day as personal as possible. “Decorations, flowers - we did all of that ourselves with James’ sister, mum and nieces,” Sophie says. “The centrepieces on the tables were knitted pumpkins that James’ mum had made. She’d been knitting them for about six months!
“We hole-punched leaves with a heart hole-punch to make the confetti. We had a temporary tattoo station with tattoos of Pokemon, flowers and black cats in homage to our cat Bubba. Those little things make it so much more personal.” On the day, guests including Emmerdale’s Emma Atkins and Mark Charnock descended on the historic manor in the heart of the Cotswolds for the outdoor ceremony - which was not only beautiful but also accessible.
“We went to some venues but due to historical preservation they tend to be inaccessible,” says James, who uses a wheelchair. Sophie adds, “We’re in 2024 but there are some venues that just aren’t accessible. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s how some of these historic buildings were built but the manor has always been so inclusive. They made sure the ramps were down and ensured James always had a straw with his drink. They couldn’t be more helpful and again, it promotes the message that marriage can be for anybody, regardless of their ability.”
After spending the night away from James, Sophie spent the morning getting ready with her maid of honour Beth and bridesmaids. Despite the initial wedding day nerves, Sophie - who wowed in her floor-length pink gown - felt stunning. “I’m more of a plus-size bride, I’m bigger than James and that’s OK. In society, it’s like, ‘If you’re bigger than your husband, then let’s not go there,’ but my friends and the staff were just so complimentary and beautiful, it made me feel so accepted and like I can be loved for my size.” Turning to Sophie, James says, “You looked beautiful. Everyone was talking about how beautiful you looked.”
The tears immediately started flowing when Sophie - a huge McFly fan - walked down the aisle to the band’s hit All About You. “My mum gave me away - James was crying, I was crying and I looked over at my three older brothers and they were just in pieces,” Sophie says. “When James’ five-year-old nephew did a speech during the ceremony and quoted Winnie the Pooh - that was it. So many people were crying.”
However, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house for James’ speech. “I prepared my speech the week before and when I started writing it, it all just came out,” he says. “I wanted to talk about my life up to this point, Sophie, her family, my family and my colleagues. I had a lot to cram in and I did think, ‘Is this going on for too long?’” To the contrary, the couple’s guests were hanging on every word. “I teach special educational needs children and James comes in to do drama workshops with the kids. They love him to pieces because he walks differently and talks differently just like them. I almost wish they were there to hear his speech so I can be like, ‘Look, marriage can be for anybody!’”
After an emotional ceremony and reception, the mood picked up on the dancefloor - and James’ Emmerdale co-stars were partly to thank. “They are a whole lot of fun,” James laughs. “Despite attending award shows with them, I’d forgotten what they’re like when they get on the dance floor. They really go for it. We split the Emmerdale guys over two tables because there were so many of them and they fit right in.”
James’ on-screen mum Emma (who plays Charity Dingle) showed up for the couple, while Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk) and Mark (Marlon Dingle) were an “absolute hoot”. Sophie adds, “It felt surreal having James’ mum, my mum and Emma there - all the mums in one place. Dominic and Mark were so funny and just so energetic. Dominic bought us some Sylvanian Families as a present, which I managed to sneak on the wedding register as I’m a massive fan.
“It turns out Lawrence Robb, who plays Mackenzie Boyd, is a McFly fan so when the band’s song came on, he was absolutely loving life.” Rachael Gill-Davis, who plays Gail Loman, and Olivia Bromley, who plays Dawn Fletcher, were also in attendance, however it was Ash Palmisciano - who plays Matty Barton - who played a large role at the wedding.
“Ash was part of my groom’s party - we came into Emmerdale at the same time. I’m disabled and playing a disabled character, he’s trans and playing a trans character so we bonded early on because of the commonalities we have,” James says. “In the last year, seeing him more outside of work, we’ve become so much closer. He’s met all my friends from Cheltenham and we’re planning when we’ll next hang out as a group. I haven’t felt like that in ages - where we have a group that all get together. I’m really happy that Ash and his girlfriend Shea are a part of that.”
While James has been on a break from Emmerdale since September for the wedding, he wouldn’t be surprised if there were nuptials in store for Ryan when he returns. “I think it’s a possibility that Ryan and Gail get married. They’re working together, living together, they’re in a very serious relationship,” James says. Since joining the soap in 2018, James has been touched by the messages from other people in the cerebral palsy community.
“Even people who come up to me and say, ‘My friend or my sister or my cousin has cerebral palsy.’ That means a lot,” he says. James’ determination to achieve his dreams is just one of the reasons Sophie married him. “The thing I love most about James is his can-do attitude. He’s thoughtful, generous, incredibly handsome,” she says. “If he wants to do something, there’s no stopping him. You don’t let anything hold you back and that really inspires me.”
The couple hope to head to Florida for their honeymoon next year before starting a family in the distant future. “We want to go to Universal Studios, Disney, The Simpsons Park,” Sophie says. James adds, “We can’t do it straight away. We’re looking at next Easter but also we want to save for a house. We want to start a family in 2026 or 2027 but we need a house first. We need the room. I’ve got too many vinyl records to fit a baby in our flat!” Although Sophie may need to clear some of her Sylvanian Families away first. “I’ve got too many! They’re everywhere. What’s mine is James’ - apart from the Sylvanians.”
