Emmerdale's Ruby star Beth Cordingly faces agonising decision over soap future

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Ruby Fox-Miligan actor Beth Cordingly is up for two gongs at the British Soap Awards - just as she faces a huge dilemma related to her future on the soap
Drama is picking up a pace in the Dales, with a body being dredged out of the lake - and Ruby believing she may face consequences for Anthony's murder.
She's only been in Emmerdale for 18 months, but Beth Cordingly has made a big impression as firecracker Ruby Fox-Miligan. Now she's nominated for Best Leading Performer in this year's British Soap Awards alongside castmate Eden Taylor-Draper, and EastEnders stalwarts Kellie Bright and Lacey Turner.
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On top of that she's up for Best On-Screen Partnership with William Ash, who plays Caleb Miligan. 'I was quite blown away to be nominated as Best Leading Performer,' says Beth.
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'I love the fact it's four women. I'm really chuffed to be one of those four. It's amazing to be there with Kellie Bright, who I massively admire, and Lacey Turner is a powerhouse of an actor, and Eden is just brilliant.'
When Beth was offered the role of Ruby, she was worried about commuting between Brighton and Leeds, and sought her daughter's opinion. Together they decided she would take the job for 12 months. That deadline has passed and Beth is agonising about her future on the show.
'The problem is, I never intended to do more than a year,' confides Beth. 'I took the job for lots of reasons. When my daughter and I decided I would take the job, I didn't know I would fall in love with it the way I have. I don't know if Emmerdale Village is built on a ley line or something but there is something really magical about that place.'
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As for working with Will, she couldn't wish for a better onscreen husband. 'He is one of the best actors of his generation and I feel incredibly lucky to be working with him,' says Beth. 'Every day is just easy and joyous.'
When she joined the soap, Beth, 48, had no idea about the trauma that would unfold for her alter ego, who has this year revealed years of sexual abuse at the hands of her father Anthony.
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When she auditioned for the role, she was told Ruby would shake things up, but had no idea about her trauma or the repercussions the storyline would unleash.
'When I joined the show, I had no idea that would be her journey,' says Beth. 'You join the show and you're given your biography, and it kept using the word 'firecracker'. So I knew she was going to be trouble and that there was going to be tension and drama.'
It was that promise of tension and drama that made Beth pitch hard for the role in the Yorkshire-based soap, despite living in Brighton with her 11-year-old daughter.
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'You really want to be a character who is driving the drama rather than a reactive character,' says Beth. 'The problem with being nice is that you often become a victim because you're reactive to circumstances rather than driving the story.'
In real life, Beth is dating former Emmerdale star Ian Kelsey, 58, who played Dave Glover for two years until he was killed off in 1996. The pair are very happy, though Beth says she's often warned against dating a fellow actor.
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'Some people go, 'Oh God, I'd never go out with an actor.' And there's a joke among actors where you'll say, 'Is your partner an actor or a normal person?' But I'm lucky that I'm with someone where there is zero jealousy and only support.'
The pair have been together for four years and Beth credits Ian with boosting her career by filling her with confidence. 'I'm sure it's no coincidence that my career has gone on a new trajectory since I got together with Ian four years ago,' she says. 'If someone is making you feel gorgeous and talented, then you walk into a room differently, don't you?'
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She even thinks she looks more attractive since meeting Ian because her contentment shines through. 'Happiness lifts your face,' smiles Beth. Not that there has been much to smile about lately in Emmerdale, but Beth has no problems turning on the tears.
'The hilarious thing is that even though I'm happy, I'm a deeply emotional person and I'm also a perimenopausal woman,' says Beth. 'I've always been very emotional. My daughter doesn't even notice when I'm crying any more!'
Beth is no stranger to soaps, having broken through with Family Affairs before becoming a regular on The Bill. She briefly played Shirley Carter's cellmate in EastEnders. However, she says Emmerdale trumps them all.
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'When you walk into the building, it's a well-oiled machine and all the departments like costume and make-up, they're always upbeat,' says Beth. 'Some shows I've worked on, there has been more of a divide between crew and cast, but at Emmerdale it's very much one team.'
However, while she's 'fallen in love' with Emmerdale, Beth isn't about to move up north. 'I spend a lot of time thinking maybe we should move up to Leeds,' she says. 'But I'm from Brighton. I moved back in lockdown and I love that my daughter is growing up in the place where I grew up – and there's the sea and we're always on the beach.
'In the evening you're sitting on the beach eating chips with a beer and music playing, and you think, 'People go away to look for this – and I live here.' But I do go around in circles about it most days.'