Emmerdale’s Celia star breaks silence as character’s true identity revealed in DNA twist

Emmerdale viewers were left reeling on Thursday’s episode as Celia Daniels’ true identity was finally exposed

Emmerdale viewers were left stunned during Thursday’s instalment as Celia Daniels’ real identity was finally exposed.

Celia, portrayed by Jaye Griffiths, arrived on the ITV drama earlier this year posing as a farmer interested in leasing some of Moira Dingle’s property.

Nevertheless, Celia’s sinister nature began to emerge when she misled Moira and her guard dog launched an attack on veterinarian Paddy Kirk.

Thursday’s episode unveiled even more of Celia’s shadowy history as she was exposed as the criminal mastermind orchestrating the recent village narcotics operation.

During one jaw-dropping moment, Celia cast aside any pretence of kindness and brutally struck April Windsor before menacingly cautioning the teenager about the regulations and repercussions of her catastrophic foolishness, issuing death threats if she failed to deceive police regarding how she acquired the narcotics, reports the Daily Star.

Meanwhile, it emerged that drug peddler Ray Walters, who was previously believed to be running the narcotics enterprise, was in fact receiving commands from Celia.

During one revealing moment, Ray, portrayed by Joe Absolom, was shown cowering pathetically before the woman he addresses as ‘mum’, clearly demonstrating Celia’s complete dominance over the criminal and the drug trafficking scheme.

The popular ITV drama has hinted: “We know this woman, Celia, is not to be messed with and we now fear for April and Dylan who are navigating paying off their debts with their pay masters.

“Lying to those that care about them to keep them off the scent, trapped in county lines drug dealing, a form of modern slavery and we fear for their futures.”

Meanwhile, Celia star Jaye, 62, revealed about the storyline and twist: “At last the audience have seen the familial link between her and Ray and the fact she is the mastermind behind it all.

“There is lots more drama to come but I feel that the context of the whole operation is now apparent and so the audience will now be fearing how trapped these kids are as it’s very clear Celia and Ray are not beginners at this.”

Emmerdale have been collaborating with The Salvation Army for their expertise regarding this County Lines storyline, which is a growing form of modern slavery and child criminal exploitation across the UK.

There are an estimated 1,000 active county lines networks operating across England, Scotland and Wales, with crack cocaine and heroin being the most commonly trafficked drugs. This issue affects communities nationwide – in cities, towns, and rural areas alike.

Emmerdale continues on weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV with episodes available to watch earlier on ITV X.