Emmerdale star James Hooton paid a touching tribute to the late soap legend Steve Halliwell.
The Zak Dingle actor died last December at the age of 77, with a statement from Emmerdale saying, ‘Steve will forever be synonymous with Emmerdale. The proud defender and head of the Dingle family. Heart and humour in all he did, it has been and always will be impossible not to smile when you think of him.’
The late star had played Zak since 1994, with his final appearance in the show coming in June last year in a warmly funny scene with Dan Spencer (Liam Fox). In the world of Emmerdale, Zak is currently in Scotland with his granddaughter Debbie and is frequently mentioned in the show.
The actor penned on Twitter/X: ‘It would have been Steve Halliwell’s birthday today. Happy heavenly one Steve.’
This comes after soap reporter Sharon Marshall rocked up the Dales set during an episode of This Morning and spoke to the cast about Steve.
‘He’s obviously such a big part of our lives and it’s lovely because being here, he’s still with us in every single moment,’ said Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle).
Steve kickstarted his acting career in the late 1970s and would appear in numerous TV series over the subsequent two decades, including Heartbeat, Threads and even Coronation Street, before landing the role that would define his career in Zachariah ‘Zak’ Dingle.
Zak made his Emmerdale debut in 1994, shortly after the serial’s rebrand from Emmerdale Farm. A former bareknuckle fighter, Zak made his presence felt straight away, challenging Ned Glover to a fight.
The legendary patriarch mellowed somewhat over the years, and featured in countless storylines, including the surprise birth of daughter Belle, the revelation that he was behind the attack on Cain Dingle and a powerful narrative that dealt with his mental health.
Zak also lost his son Butch in a bus crash, beat testicular cancer, disappeared off to Chile, and supported son Sam through his wife Alice’s terminal illness.
But it’s undoubtedly his relationship with wife Lisa (Jane Cox) that remains his greatest achievement. Zak and Lisa undeniably became one of soap’s most iconic couples, enduring many a hardship over three decades, including Zak’s controversial affair with Joanie.
MORE : Emmerdale fans ‘work out’ Liam Cavanagh’s new love interest – and it’s not Ella Forster
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