Emmerdale’s Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly) struggled to catch her breath

after discussing the past with estranged father Anthony (Nicholas Day).The much-loved

village favourite, as viewers know, has been out of sorts since Anthony walked back into

her life, decades after he’d thrown her out over her relationship with Caleb Miligan (William Ash). Anthony told Ruby to leave the past in the past – but Ruby was left devastated (Picture: ITV) Ruby is keen to build bridges with daughter Steph (Georgia Jay), who she was also estranged from until recently, but doing so with Anthony present has been difficult as Steph has insisted that her mum give the patriarch a chance to redeem himself. Caleb, who previously has reservations about Anthony, is also keen for Ruby to make peace with her father, who is terminally ill, believing that she will regret it if she fails to do so. Wednesday’s (December 4) edition of the ITV soap saw an ambush of sorts as Steph and Caleb invited Anthony over to Mill Cottage for a get-together, much to Ruby’s horror.

After some insistence from Caleb and Steph, Ruby agreed to have one cup of tea with her dad, who recounted how close he and Ruby were back in the day. Steph and Caleb loved listening to stories of how Anthony would take Ruby on days out to the cinema. Ruby, however, became distant, struggling to make conversation and very clearly uncomfortable because of the situation she had been put in. Anthony claimed that it was Helen – his ex-wife and Ruby’s mum – that was behind disowning Ruby when she was younger, despite Caleb’s recollection that it was Anthony who was to blame.

With Steph insistent on her giving Anthony a shot and, fearing she would lose her daughter if she didn’t, Ruby agreed to make peace. Anthony was pleased to have won Ruby over, telling her that the ‘past is the past’ and that they should leave it ‘where it belongs’. Ruby was left chilled by such a thing and said that she would head to the shop to pick up some more food but once outside she gasped for air, struggling to breathe. It’s quite clear that there is more to why Ruby is struggling with her father’s return than meets the eye, but will she be able to confide in her loved ones? A flashback episode, set to air next Thursday (December 12), will shed more light on her past as viewers are taken back to her 16th birthday.