Emmerdale’s Jay Kontzle has opened up about his new storyline and what his character Billy Fletcher thinks of newcomer Jade (Twinnie-Lee Moore).
Recently in the ITV soap, Billy started hiding a secret from Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley). At first, all we knew was that Billy was earning a lot of money in his side hustle, but he then started displaying some concerning injuries.
It was then revealed Billy had started taking part in underground boxing. The fights are organised by a promoter called Jade, and Billy knows working with her comes with many risks.
‘I think she’s ambiguous. I think the fact that Billy doesn’t know too much about her and she keeps turning up with heavies every now and again, he knows he’s in over his head a little bit’, actor Jay Kontzle explained.
‘She’s obviously got something really scary about her that Billy wouldn’t want to cross. He doesn’t want that to fall back on his family. He’s obviously got history, in episodes we’ve done before, with other characters that have tested his family in the past. He knows that it could be telling for the family if he doesn’t do what Jade’s asking. He does fear for the family when he’s around her, definitely.’
Reflecting on the lies Billy has told Dawn so far, Jay said: ‘I think subconsciously it is massively difficult for Billy to hold this back and not say anything, because realistically how long can it go on for? He’s obviously going to get injured at some point and it’s going to be visible.
‘How long are you going to hold off these injuries before she’s going to clue in to what’s actually happening? There’s only so many times that you can say it’s a boxercise injury before it starts looking quite serious. It is really difficult and obviously it’s a profession that’s a risk to life as well.
‘All the stuff that’s going on with their children, especially with Evan, it’s not something that Dawn’s going to want to deal with, especially when it’s something that’s in Billy’s control and it’s his decision. He is concerned, but at the moment it’s not just a financial thing, it’s more for him to free up his mind and make himself feel better.’
One of the main focuses for Dawn and Billy this year has been looking after their baby son Evan, who was diagnosed with leukaemia. Amid the stress and worry, Billy was searching for a form of escapism, as Jay told us:
‘I feel like when you’ve got no one to talk to – because Dawn’s got her dad, even though they’ve fallen out, she’s got her dad, she’s kind of got Kim. If there’s stuff she needed to talk about she’s got family members there she can confide in. Billy hasn’t got anyone and he needs some sort of release. He needs to release emotions and this is that release for Billy.
‘All the stuff that’s gone on with Evan, it’s still mentally breaking him down. He’s not in control of anything and as a dad you want to be able to control your child’s life and make sure they’re fit and healthy, make sure they’re feeling good, they’re not crying, you can always comfort them.’
He added: ‘The fact that that’s taken out of his control, subconsciously he’s always got something going on in his head and he hasn’t got anyone to talk to. He can’t talk about the fact that him and Dawn will be having disputes and arguments every now and then is just due to the fact that this dynamic is all over the place. So his release will be this sport.
‘It’s a contact sport, he can release a lot of stress. Even taking damage it’s kind of internal as well, so it’s really helping him.
‘As well as helping him on the emotional stage it’s also helping him on the financial stage because it’s a real struggle, they’re kind of in deep waters at this point and trying to stay afloat. This is, in his head, the best kind of outcome.’
