Emmerdale star posts sweet message as her famous partner lands huge role
Beth Cordingly's partner Ian Kelsey rose to fame on Emmerdale years before she nabbed a role on the soap, and now has an exciting new role in a live show
Emmerdale star Beth Cordingly has shared her excitement for her partner and fellow soap actor Ian Kelsey.
Ian, 58, played Dave Glover on the ITV soap from 1994 to 1997, and also had a stint on Coronation Street as Vinny Ashford. Meanwhile, Beth, 48, joined Emmerdale just last year on January 25, playing newcomer Ruby Fox-Miligan.
Ian’s last role was a voice part in 2023, and Beth proudly took to Instagram to promote his latest career move. The Bill star shared a photo of Ian on a poster for Mamma Mia the Party, with the ad exclaiming: “Ian Kelsey is Nikos!” while sharing the dates of the London show from February 5 to June 15.
Alongside the poster, Beth wrote: “Literally beside myself with excitement over @iankelseyofficial’s next job… from Feb 5th 2025… he’s Nikos in …MAMMA MIA THE PARTY AT THE O2,” alongside a string of dancing emojis.
Beth exclaimed ‘We love Ian Kelsey’ as she shared that he had a role in Mamma Mia the Party starting in just a matter of days (
beth_cordingly/Instagram)
She added: “I know. Beyond. WE LOVE IAN KELSEY AND WE LOVE ABBA. To recap we’re talking @iankelseyofficial – (gorgeous) ABBA (amaze), a Greek taverna (lusho) AND RED WINE…Perfection. Yes f***ing please. He will be brilliant. It will be sublime. I’ll see you there.”
EastEnders star Natalie J Robb showed her support for the couple in the comment section, writing:” Can’t wait to go and see this with you!! Buzzing for him x x,” along with a heart emoji, with Beth replying: “Thank you babeeeeeee.”
Beth and Ian first met 20 years ago, but went on to marry other people. The duo then bumped into each other again in 2021, with Ian having split from his wife Mia Terry in 2016, while Beth finalised her divorce from husband Adam Speers in 2023. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror about her romance, she shared: “I am very in love with Ian and very happy. I think it really does work, him being an actor too. He has been so fantastic.”
Beth started a role on Ian’s former show Emmerdale in 2024, and revealed that he was vital in encouraging her to accept the move (
Instagram/@beth_cordingly)
Beth also revealed that Ian was vital in encouraging her to take on the role of Ruby in Emmerdale. Considering how they live in Sussex while the show films in Leeds, and Beth has a daughter and Ian has two, she knew it would be a lot to juggle. She described: “Ian was really supportive and wanted me to do it, which is lovely. There is that thing as an actor where you are always taken away from home. But he totally gets it.
“He knows a lot of the crew and cast and so it’s lovely to be able to share what I’ve been up to, knowing he understands. That’s important when you are away and he is always keen to find out how filming has gone each day.
The star added: “But I am slowly learning and I am so glad I accepted the role.”
