Inside Emmerdale newcomer Oliver Farnworth’s relationship with EastEnders legend

New Emmerdale star Oliver Farnworth’s girlfriend is none other than former EastEnders legend Samanatha Womack.

The actor, who has previously appeared on Hollyoaks and Coronation Street, is set to make his debut as troublemaker John Sugden on the long-running ITV soap this month. His character is the long-lost half brother of Victoria Sugden, and brooding promotional images show John standing in a field with his half-sister and Aaron Dingle.

While he has previous experience on a soap opera, Oliver also has his girlfriend Samantha on hand to give him valuable advice. The actress, 51, played Ronnie Mitchell from 2007 to 2017, and the couple have been dating since 2019. Fans were also surprised to discover that Oliver is close pals with Samantha’s ex-husband Mark Womack, 63, and even went to him for career advice.

Oliver, 41, lives in Spain with Samantha, and gets on well with her and Mark’s kids Lily, 19, amd Benjamin, 23, and the actor even spoke to his girlfriend’s ex-husband shortly after he was offered the part on Emmerdale. “Mark is a good friend. I actually just spoke to him yesterday. And when I got offered [the part in Emmerdale], Mark told me it was a great job. He was full of praise for the place,” he told The Mirror.

Oliver and Samantha met in 2019 when they starred together in the play The Girl on the Train, and their relationship developed further when Samantha was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2022. “It sort of changes your outlook and makes you possibly appreciate what you’ve got a bit more and maybe live your life a bit more as well,” Oliver explained, as he said the cancer was only spotted during a routine check. “That really saved us,” he admitted.

Oliver is in awe of his girlfriend’s resilience and motivation during her cancer battle, and called her “gracious” for having to deal with the terrifying health scare. “She wanted to get through everything and get back on stage as quickly as possible. She’s a real fighter, and she won’t let things get in her way. But, she was just so brave and eloquent speaking about what’s she’s been through and gracious,” he gushed.

Samantha spoke about their close blended family in an interview with Woman’s Own, and revealed their success is down to working “really hard” at their relationship. “We’ve worked hard at remaining friends and I’m proud of it. I Know for some people that’s not possible when the breakup is just too painful, but we were able to do it and I’m really grateful,” she shared.