Emmerdale’s Rhona Goskirk is set to share a kiss with ex-husband Paddy Kirk next week.
The vet – portrayed by Zoe Henry – has been through a horrific ordeal after her being raped on the night of her wedding by spouse Pierce Harris (Jonathan Wrather).
Paddy (Dominic Brunt) has supported Rhona throughout the ups and the downs of the case and after a victory trial which landed the defiler in prison, the pair get close again.
Dominic said: "Paddy can’t help but be drawn to Rhona once again – he never fell out of love with her. He’s tried to be her friend all the way through the trial, and knows it would be ridiculously inappropriate to try to get back with her. So paddy doesn’t instigate it – but when Rhona goes in for a kiss, it’s everything he’s wished for. It’s just terrible timing."
Despite sharing the passionate embrace, Dominic says that his alter-ego’s former flame doesn’t feel ready to start another relationship so soon, but he understands.
He told Inside Soap magazine: "She back-pedals frantically.
"The good thing about this is that Rhona takes complete control of her feelings and her sexuality.
"She doesn’t lead Paddy on at all – she tells him quite honestly that she’s not ready for it."
However, Paddy feels guilty that Pierce came into Rhona’s life because he had an affair with Tess Harris (Nicola Stephenson), Pierce’s ex-wife.
He said: "He regrets everything.
"Paddy blames himself for all that Rhona has been through.
"He made a stupid mistake by having an affair with Tess, and that brought Pierce into their lives.
"Rhona has been very forgiving, but it’s hard to see how anyone could get over what he did."