Emmerdale’s Ryan Hawley reveals Danny Miller’s role in his ‘permanent’ ITV soap return

Robert Sugden was successful in making a scene, but what’s next? (Picture: ITV)

Emmerdale star Ryan Hawley has confirmed Robert Sugden’s future after returning to Emmerdale in shocking scenes recently.

The actor has been absent since Robert was sent to prison in 2019, after killing sister Victoria’s (Isabel Hodgins) rapist, Lee Posner.

With Robert in prison, husband Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) attempted to make things work, but when he was transferred to the Isle of Wight, the pair decided to put an end to their marriage, with the divorce being finalised in 2020.

Since then, Aaron met and fell for John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), and were engaged earlier this year, in spite of the many skeletons in John’s closet (and under the local lake).

Suffering from paranoid visions of Aaron rejecting him at the altar, John predicted every possible catastrophe which might prevent them from tying the knot. One eventuality he hadn’t prepared for, however, was the appearance of half-brother Robert.

Robert returned to crash John and Aaron’s wedding… but how long is he and actor Ryan Hawley sticking around?

Is Ryan Hawley back for good as Robert?

While it had been rumoured that Robert was re-joining Emmerdale for a short stint only, Ryan has now confirmed that he’s back for good.

‘The secret is out today! My character is returning permanently and not just for Aaron and John’s wedding. I am back for good, and I am so excited to be playing Robert again,’ the star told The Mirror.

Robert crashed John and Aaron’s wedding (Picture: ITV)

He revealed that his returning to the soap had been the result of a conversation with co-star Danny.

‘Recently, while I was living in Brazil with my family, where we had been for the past year, Danny texted to see how I would feel. We’ve always kept in touch, and after a lot of thought, I told him, “Yeah, I am up for it.” I then got a call swiftly from the producers, and it went from there.’

But what can fans expect from Robert’s return?

Aaron was devastated when Robert ended their marriage (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

‘[Robert] causes disasters wherever he goes, but on this occasion, he wants to stop the wedding – and while it will cause chaos, it’s also the right thing to do, because we know John isn’t right for Aaron,’ the actor revealed.

It looked as though John had gotten his way at the time, making it to the aisle in spite of Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter) and Aidan Moore (Geoff Dignan), both of whom threatened to expose his sinister past – in spite of one being dead and the other in a coma.

Disaster was averted as Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) revealed that dredging of the lake had been halted, but there was more in store when he stressed over Aidan, who had briefly come out of his coma.

And it looked as though John’s worst nightmares were about to come true as Aaron called off the wedding after finding his groom-to-be with Aidan at the hospital.

John managed to talk Aaron back on side, but there was another twist in store… the return of Robert Sugden, who arrived just in time to throw the while ceremony into chaos.

Robert revealed to Aaron that he had been released from prison following an appeal. Due to the fact he broke the conditions of his bail, Robert was sent back inside but judging by what we know, that certainly isn’t going to be for very long…

This article was originally published in May, 2025.

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