Jeff Hordley remains one of Emmerdale’s longest-serving stars, with ITV viewers gripped by his character’s turbulent path as both a dedicated father and the village’s notorious troublemaker.

In forthcoming scenes, Cain confronts a devastating health crisis when emotionally charged episodes airing next week reveal he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Cain discovers he has aggressive, though contained, prostate cancer.

Reeling from the news and the possible side effects of his proposed treatment, Cain abruptly ends the consultation and departs.

During a specially crafted episode, viewers will be taken inside Cain’s mind, with the story unfolding from his perspective as he grapples alone with coming to terms with his diagnosis.

Jeff has commented on the storyline: “I feel really honoured to be given this storyline and I am excited for the challenges it is already throwing at me.”, reports the Daily Star.

“This is the first proper illness my character, Cain, has been given and I want to play my part in making sure the audience can relate to the journey so many families unfortunately have to navigate.”

With Cain firmly in the spotlight, soap fans may be curious about 55 year old Jeff’s life beyond the ITV soap…

Who is Jeff Hordley

The Emmerdale stalwart is married to co-star Zoe Henry, who portrays Rhona Goskirk in the popular soap. The couple’s love story began at drama school in 1994, with Jeff proposing on the memorable night Zoe claimed the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the Manchester Evening News theatre awards.

Jeff and Zoe tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in 2003, and despite both appearing in Emmerdale, their characters seldom interact on screen.

This is a conscious choice, as the couple prefer keeping a “very separate existence” at work, Zoe once explained during a chat on Lorraine.

Does Emmerdale star Jeff Hordley have children?

Yes, Jeff and Zoe share two children – daughter Violet Percy, born in 2005, and son Stan Percy, who came along three years afterwards.

To ensure one parent could stay at home with their youngsters during those crucial early years, Jeff and Zoe’s storylines were deliberately staggered across different filming schedules. When Zoe took centre stage in Marlon Dingle’s (Mark Charnock) stroke storyline in 2022, she spoke about how her husband stepped up at home.

Chatting to Lorraine at the time, Zoe said: “We often do line learning together. This time, Jeff’s been amazing. He’s just taking the weight off what’s going on at home.

“Obviously we’ve got two kids, two dogs, we’ve got an allotment and he’s just managing all of that. He’s about to get busy as I sort of quieten down so we’ll swap the baton then.”

The actor, known for his role as Cain Dingle, also previously revealed how the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 helped to strengthen their family bonds at their cherished allotment.

He disclosed: “During the whole covid lockdowns, it’s like a two-minute walk from my house, it really helped Zoe and I. And the dogs came up with us and the children came up with us and getting your hands in the earth, it’s so good for your mental health. Just watching something grow is such a positive experience because it reaffirms life.”