Recently Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) and Ross Barton (Michael Parr) went toe-to-toe in an illegal boxing match in Emmerdale. While the fight was brutal and intense, the most dangerous person in the room wasn’t either of the two opponents. It was boxing promoter Jade (Twinnie-Lee Moore).
In upcoming episodes we see exactly how ruthless she can be – and April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan)’s life is on the line.
Jade is furious because the £10k from Billy and Ross’s fight disappeared when the police suddenly arrived. Viewers know that it ended up in Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb)’s hands, but as far as Jade is concerned, Ross is responsible.
She warns him of the grim consequences he’ll face if she doesn’t get her cash back, and she makes sinister threats that she’ll target Charity (Emma Atkins) and Moses (Arthur Cockroft) as well as April – who is the daughter of Donna Windsor (Verity Rushworth), the great love of Ross’s life.
‘She’s a dangerous, sinister character,’ Mike Parr told us about Jade. ‘I think Ross doesn’t realise how deep the rabbit hole goes with her and what she is willing to do to make sure she wins and gets her money back.’
Ross tries to convince Charity to take Moses away for a while to get them out of harm’s way, but she refuses.
As for April, she’s soon in terrifying danger after accepting a lift into town from the apparently friendly Jade. And Ross gets a video call telling him that April had been kidnapped by Jade.
She sends him a location and he realises, with dread, that it’s the car park where Donna died. She threw herself off the top of the car park along with villain Gary North (Fergus O’Donnell), who was threatening Ross and April, who was then a very young child.
‘It’s hugely traumatic for him,’ Mike said.
‘It brings back the worst memories. Seeing somebody die, especially the first girl who’s ever loved you and your first experience with love – to fall off a roof chained to a paedophile! It’s quite a traumatic event for him.’
The trauma only increases for Ross as he arrives at the location and finds a tearful April being held very close to the edge of the car park by one of Jade’s henchmen.
Jade demands that he hands over the money, or April will die. Of course he doesn’t have the money.
Is there anything he can do?
