Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Charlotte Tutton

Emmerdale fans in disbelief as twins Cathy and Heath Hope 'unrecognisable' after return

Emmerdale aired the return of Cathy and Heath Hope in recent scenes, as Bob Hope's twins caused trouble for Eric Pollard.

The duo hadn't been on screen for some time, after younger characters temporarily stopped filming the show last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Due to strict social distancing rules, younger cast members were kept away from the studio to limit the amount of people filming at any one time - with this being because younger actors often need to be accompanied by a chaperone.

Heath and Cathy were back on screen this month, but it took a while for many viewers to even realise it was them.

The duo looked so grown up, that many fans couldn't believe it was the same characters, and the same cast members playing them.

Emmerdale aired the return of Cathy and Heath Hope in recent scenes (ITV)

Heath has been played by actor Sebastian Dowling since 2007, appearing in a portion of episodes across each year.

This is the same for Cathy actress Gabrielle Dowling, who happens to be Sebastian's twin in real life.

But there have been times where the twins have been mentioned, but haven't actually been shown on screen even before the pandemic.

Heath and Cathy have been played by Sebastian and Gabrielle Dowling since 2007 (ITV)

This often happens with younger characters, but the restrictions meant they had even less screen time last year.

So viewers had not seen them for a while until they returned this month, and fans could not believe how different they looked.

The pair have really grown up since their last time on the show, and fans took to Twitter to share their surprise - as some struggled to recognise them.

Emmerdale viewers had to double take after Bob Hope's twins Cathy and Heath made their return (ITV)

One viewer wrote: "I honestly had no clue that they were Bob's twins in the cafe. They've grown up so fast!!"

Another agreed: "Those twins are so grown up. Kathy especially."

A third added: "So Bob’s kids have appeared practically grown up!"

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

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.