Emmerdale star reveals what could destroy Caleb and ‘Lady Macbeth’ Ruby

Fewer Emmerdale love stories are stranger than that of Caleb Milligan (William Ash) and his wife Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly). They love each other dearly… when they’re not stabbing each other in the back.

These two teenage sweethearts got off to a bad start in the village back in 2024, when Caleb claimed to be estranged from Ruby while having an affair with Tracy Robinson… on for his scorned missus to expose his philandering publically.

Then of course when his dear wife’s estranged mother Helen was on her deathbed, Caleb accepted a £100,000 bribe from the woman to convince Ruby to visit. Helen died before Ruby could see her, and Caleb pocketed the cash any way.

But despite their threats of divorce and constant revenge plots, the pair actually have a pretty healthy marriage and have each other’s backs. Like Ruby did recently, when she destroyed vital CCTV evidence to frame Caleb’s hated business partner (Ned Porteous)  for an attack on Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle).

Even Will Ash, who plays Caleb, thinks the couple are pretty solid right now.

‘I think they can trust each other. It’s other people that they don’t trust. I think something might happen that way. There might be.’

One of the reasons their relationship is so solid is due to the death of Ruby’s father Anthony, who sexually abused Ruby when she was 14 years old and got her pregnant with her daughter Steph, Ruby finally snapped and suffocated her father to death – and Caleb helped her cover up the murder.

‘Caleb had had affairs before all the Anthony stuff, but since that all came out I think their relationship is proper solid now.’ Will insists.

‘And I think Caleb appreciates Ruby and their relationship much more than he did. How much she sacrificed for him, because he didn’t know any of that stuff. Whereas, when he’d been in care growing up, and she’d fallen for him as kids and their relationship was formed out of that, I think he’s taken it for granted. So all the Anthony stuff has made them really solid. So, I think they do trust each other now. I think she trusts him, but it might be somebody else coming out that might cause a bit of trouble…’

That ‘somebody’ just might be none other than Billy’s real attacker, and resident live wire  Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill). He clobbered Billy simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kev was actually trying to stop his friend, Steve, from robbing the haulage depot.

Seeing as he wants to frame Joe and bring the ruthless businessman down for good, it’s not in Caleb’s interests for Kev to come forward. However, Kev is a law unto himself that Caleb and Ruby have no idea how to control…

‘I think they just don’t know how to handle him, like most people in the village.’ Will admits. ‘He’s such a loose cannon, you just don’t know what you’re going to get from him. I think Ruby thinks she can probably outmaneuver him, and Caleb thinks she has done, but when it comes down to it, he’s that much of a weapon, you just can’t combat it, can you?”

While Caleb in a schemer, Will insists that Ruby is more than capable of pulling the strings herself like a proper lady Macbeth.

‘She is!’ Will agrees. ‘Beth [Cordingley] references that quite a lot, when we’re chatting about stuff.

‘She is the brains behind certain decisions they make sometimes. He’s a successful business man and all that, so he does know what he’s doing, but she does pour things into his ear sometimes.’

With Joe’s wedding coming up, the stage is set for Caleb and Ruby’s sinister plans. But their meddling could create potential to make Joe more dangerous than ever.

‘I think it will probably end up being all out war again.’ Will admits. ‘I think Caleb is well up for it and prepared for the fall out of what he’s done.’

‘He’s ready for it and whatever comes back down to him.’