Emmerdale actress' real life co-star romance with on-screen husband

The beloved ITV soap Emmerdale is known for sparking romance between their co-stars behind the scenes. And one actor who also fell victim to the showbiz romance is none other than Amy Robbins.

Loyal fans of the ITV show will recall the brunette beauty as villager serial killer Meena Jutla's barrister Milligan. But before she stormed into the Yorkshire Dales she found fame as Dr Jill Weatherill in the TV series The Royal which dominated Sunday night telly for nearly a decade. The spin-off from the much-loved show Heartbeat, this medical drama centred on the goings-on at St Aidan's Royal Free Hospital.

The series aired from 2003 to 2011, boasting 87 unforgettable episodes before it came to an end. But behind the scenes, romance was blossoming between the actress and her co-star Robert Daws who played her on-screen husband Dr Gordon.

Speaking about how they met to the Peterborough Telegraph, Amy revealed the couple had their romance written into the plot of the show. She told the outlet: "We met on the job, so to speak, and we were married by the end of the first series. And because we were married in real life, they wrote it into the plot of the show."

Robert added: "We pretty much honeymooned on set, didn't we? Did we get a honeymoon actually? Didn't we have about four days off between episode seven and eight?" Amy confirmed: "We did indeed. And we've been married 13 years now."

Robert went on to reveal that his children grew up on the set of The Royal so that the new parents could get back to work sooner. He explained: "For eight years on The Royal our two girls were born and brought up with it so the kids are steeped in the whole process of the industry, their early years were brought up in hotel rooms and unit bases in strange locations."

In the first year that The Royal launched, Robert tied the knot with Amy and the couple went on to have two daughters together. But this wasn't Robert's first time walking down the aisle, with the actor also sharing a son Benjamin with his first wife Amanda Waring.

They were married from 1993 until 2002 and separated when their son was just two years old. The actor later opened up about their divorce in an unearthed interview back in 2003.

Speaking to The Mirror, he admitted there was "sadness" that came with their split. He told the outlet: "There's always a sadness when relationships break up and if there are children involved you've got to try and make sure they're OK.

"Ben gets a lot of love and I do the best I can. I take it very seriously being a dad and see Ben as much as possible - at least once a week." At the time, the star had also opened up about his new daughter Betsy who was born in 2003 after his and Amy's whirlwind romance.

Speaking about finding love with his co-star after his marriage ended, Robert admitted it was "unplanned". He told the outlet: "It was certainly unplanned. We'd both left long-term relationships and the last thing we were looking for was another one, but that's life."

After The Royal came to an end, Robert went on to play Dr Watson in The Secret of Sherlock Holmes. He featured in TV shows such as Roger Roger and had a sting in Coronation Street.

He also played Dr Choake in Poldark while juggling roles in Midsomer Murders, Holby City, Casualty, and New Tricks. Meanwhile, Amy has gone on to star in Coronation Street, Casualty, Holby City, EastEnders and Hollyoaks.

Amy and Robert even starred together in another project in 2016. They appeared in Rehearsal for Murder, which was produced by Bill Kenwright. Speaking about working together again in 2016, Robert admitted it was Amy's idea.

He told The Sunday Post: "Bill's very canny, so he probably thought it would be nice to have an actual couple playing the couple in the show, and he came to us with it. We read the script and Amy said she really liked her part. So that was the deal done because I wasn't going to argue with that!"