Emma Barton (James wife)

[lizann]

The actress is 42 in real life ... Anthony Quinlan (Pete) is 30, Michael Parr is 28

pete looks older than his mum she looks finn's age

[lizann]

The actress is 42 in real life ... Anthony Quinlan (Pete) is 30, Michael Parr is 28

pete looks older than his mum she looks finn's age

[kennedyfan86]

Joe Gill is 20 lol, it only makes sense for her to be his Mum cause she started awfully young with Pete and Ross

[xloolx]

I think she may only be the mother of Finn and not Ross and Pete, But on saying that maybe she just aged well!

[kennedyfan86]

I think she may only be the mother of Finn and not Ross and Pete, But on saying that maybe she just aged well!

She is the 3 of them's mother lol, it's just the small age gap between Gillian, Anthony and Michael that sticks in the mind. Hopefully the scenes between them will take that away from the forefront though

[kennedyfan86]

I think she may only be the mother of Finn and not Ross and Pete, But on saying that maybe she just aged well!

She is the 3 of them's mother lol, it's just the small age gap between Gillian, Anthony and Michael that sticks in the mind. Hopefully the scenes between them will take that away from the forefront though

[tammyy2j]

I think she may only be the mother of Finn and not Ross and Pete, But on saying that maybe she just aged well!

I will have what she is having so

I wonder was Emma suffering from postnatal depression and maybe tried to harm or kill Finn and so she left, I do think Pete and James know more about her leaving

[kennedyfan86]

I will have what she is having so

I wonder was Emma suffering from postnatal depression and maybe tried to harm or kill Finn and so she left, I do think Pete and James know more about her leaving

She probably tried to drown or smother or even leave Finn somewhere, or give him away and Pete saw the whole thing or something

[kennedyfan86]

I will have what she is having so

I wonder was Emma suffering from postnatal depression and maybe tried to harm or kill Finn and so she left, I do think Pete and James know more about her leaving

She probably tried to drown or smother or even leave Finn somewhere, or give him away and Pete saw the whole thing or something

[alan45]

Emmerdale newcomer Gillian Kearney has predicted that viewers will be surprised when they discover the full story behind her character's absence from the lives of the Barton family.

The former Brookside actress was introduced on screen last week as Emma Barton, who has been estranged from her sons Pete, Ross and Finn since walking out on them 22 years ago.


© ITV
Emma Barton with her youngest son Finn

Emma's departure was partly motivated by her suspicions that her husband James was cheating on her with his sister-in-law Moira, but there is also a second layer to the story which will be revealed on screen next week.

The secrets start to unravel when Emma pays a visit to the village and blames James (Bill Ward) for her estrangement from the family, prompting him to remind her of the real reason she left.

Speaking of the secret, Kearney commented: "You'll see next week when it comes out and I think people will find it quite surprising. But hopefully they'll understand!"


© ITV
Emma with her three sons

Viewers can also expect fireworks as Emma finally discovers that she was right about James's secret feelings for Moira all those years ago, which led to them conceiving Adam together in a one-night stand.

Kearney explained: "Emma's whole world is turned upside down yet again. For her, it keeps shifting. She has been blaming herself all these years, because she was in a dark place when she left. She suspected that her husband was having an affair with Moira and he constantly denied this.

"Emma blames herself for getting into a place back then that was very dark. I can't reveal exactly where Emma went to in her head, but afterwards she didn't have enough self-esteem to go back and she didn't believe that she was a fit mother.

"When Emma finds out that she was right, she is absolutely furious because she feels robbed of those 22 years. When she also finds out about Adam, it's more salt in the wounds and it exacerbates the problem. There are fireworks when she goes to The Woolpack and she lets James know how she feels quite publicly!"


© ITV
Emma heads to see Moira

Despite this, viewers will also see that Emma still has strong feelings for James deep down, which could pose problems for his future with Chas Dingle.

Kearney confirmed: "Emma has missed out on everything, but she still feels such love for James and she hasn't moved on with her life.

"All Emma wants is to be part of her family again. Ideally that would include James! I just think she'd like to go back to where she was 22 years ago and get it right this time. She's quite a determined character and that's what she is working towards attaining, but whether she gets it remains to be seen."

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.