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Privacy Notice Emmerdale actor James Hooton, famed for his role as lovable Sam Dingle, was deeply touched during his appearance on ITV’s Loose Women as he paid homage to his late co-star and “good friend” Steve Halliwell, who played his on-screen dad on the ITV soap. James appeared on the panel show with co-star Sam Hall, who plays his on-screen offspring Samson, and together they delved into their latest dramatic plot which sees Samson wrongfully pin a stabbing on Matty Barton (played by Ash Palmisciano), resulting in Matty’s wrongful imprisonment. But the mood on Loose Women turned sombre when they honoured Steve, who played Emmerdale’s cherished Zak Dingle and was the soap’s second longest-serving cast member until his death in December last year. He joined the show October 1994 and went on to be solid fan favourite for just shy of three decades.
Steve, who played Zak Dingle, passed away in December last year
(Image: (Image: PA))
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The adored actor passed away at the age of 77 in December 2023, leaving behind a legacy of laughter and love. “He was making us laugh to the end, the most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for,” his family said in a heartfelt statement. Sam Dingle actor James, who has been with Emmerdale for an impressive 30 years himself, shared his fond memories of his late co-star and announced that the soap is set to pay tribute to the character of Zak Dingle with a special storyline, with filming scheduled to start soon, reports the Express. Loose Women’s host Christine Lampard chimed in, saying, “We were just talking about Zak Dingle. The iconic character that is Zak Dingle and the wonderful Steve Halliwell, and there’s a little nod to that coming up in the show I believe?”, which was met with warm applause from the audience and fellow panellists. Reflecting on the upcoming tribute, James revealed: “I think it’s August we start filming, which sort of tackles Zak passing away.”
James plays Emmerdale’s Sam Dingle, Zak’s son
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Clearly emotional, the actor’s voice then dropped a little as he added: “Obviously, Steve passed away at the back end of last year, with his funeral early this year. “So, I don’t know how much the story unfolds at the moment but I think it’s going to be really respectful passing of a really iconic Emmerdale character.” Christine told the panel and audience she still though of Steve’s character “being there”. “With the Dingle’s and the whole back story of them. You must really feel it as a cast when a big character like that,” she said.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnChristine LampardEmmerdaleLoose Women
