Emmerdale star Joe-Warren Plant has faced some huge storylines during his years playing Jacob Sugden, but right now his alter ego is going through one of his toughest times yet.
While Jacob may be happily settled with wife Sarah and their baby, life at work has become a nightmare thanks to Dr Todd’s bullying campaign. And with her now threatening to expose the truth about baby Leyla, things look set to get even worse.
Away from the ITV soap, though, Joe-Warren’s real life has had its fair share of drama too, from high-profile romance rumours to heartbreak and an unexpected side hustle that fans never saw coming.
Joe-Warren Plant in an age-gap romance
One of Jacob’s most talked-about storylines saw him groomed and abused by teacher and dad’s girlfriend Maya Stepney.
At the time, Joe was 17 in real life and dating girlfriend Nicole Hadlow, who was 22. The pair regularly shared loved-up snaps online, including glamorous holidays to places like Mexico and Ibiza.
However, their relationship came to an end in 2021 when Joe signed up for Dancing On Ice, with reports suggesting the intense schedule played a part in their split.
Speaking to The Sun at the time, Joe admitted: “Dancing on Ice has come at a good time for me physically and mentally.
“Relationships are hard to kind of deal with. It has helped to take my mind off of it slightly, having to focus and train all day every day.”
He added: “It’s helped taking my mind off it, but things are still tough to be fair.”
Emmerdale star Joe-Warren Plant and co-star romance rumours
It was during his time on Dancing On Ice that romance rumours began swirling around Joe and his professional skating partner Vanessa Bauer.
Fans quickly speculated the pair’s chemistry on screen had become something more, with some even suggesting it had contributed to Joe’s split from Nicole.
Addressing the rumours in an interview with the Mail Online, Joe insisted there was nothing romantic going on.
“With Dancing On Ice, it is about telling a story, to be engaged with the audience and the judges,” he explained.
“So you have to have a certain level of chemistry between you and your partner.”
He added: “Everybody has seen that we’re getting on so well and automatically assumed that something is going on but there isn’t.”
Sadly, Joe and Vanessa were later forced to withdraw from the competition after contracting COVID, despite being among the favourites to win.
At the time, Joe wrote online: “I am beyond heartbroken that our journey has been cut short.”
He later stepped away from the public eye for a month to focus on himself.
New girlfriend
Joe later found love again and went public with girlfriend Anna Norton in 2022.
A source told The Sun at the time that the pair were “totally smitten” with each other.
The insider claimed: “They’ve been spending a lot of time together recently at charity football events and make each other really happy.”
The couple reportedly bought a house together in Blackpool and even shared a cat. However, after two years together, the relationship ended, with reports suggesting the split was not amicable.
Who is Emmerdale star Joe-Warren Plant dating now?
The 24-year-old later went Instagram official with a new girlfriend in January 2025.
Joe shared a cosy snap on his Instagram Stories, tagging a brunette called Isabella, although her account remains private.
The Sun later reported Isabella was Joe’s new girlfriend. While he keeps his private life fairly low-key, the pair appear to still be together and have shared several sunny holiday moments online.
Joe’s side hustle
Away from Emmerdale, Joe-Warren also has a very unexpected second job.
Speaking on the Celebrity Side Hustles podcast last year, former co-star Matthew Wolfenden revealed Joe still works as a waiter in a restaurant in Blackpool.
Matthew explained: “He started off washing dishes. He’s kept himself grounded, got a normal job on a weekend and yeah, that’s just really admirable and beautiful.”
He added: “He’s just such a gorgeous young man – he’s never got starry about it.”
Tragic loss of his mum
Joe joined Emmerdale as Jacob in 2010 at just eight years old and has previously credited his parents, Warren and Steph, for supporting his acting career from the beginning.
Speaking to The Mirror in 2023, he said: “I can’t remember what it was like before. This is home for me. I owe everything to Mum and Dad.”
Tragically, Joe’s mum died from liver complications in November 2022 aged 47.
Reflecting on her support, Joe said: “Mum was so supportive and such an amazing person. I miss her a lot.”
Read more: Emmerdale cast shake-up 2026 as exits confirmed and big returns teased – so who’s leaving?
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 8pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
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