Emmerdale’s young star Heath Hope, played by Sebastian Dowling, met a tragic end in a car crash on New Year’s Eve.
The shocking event happened when Heath was on his way to a party in Hotten with his sister Cathy and their friend Angelica.
However, off-screen, Sebastian leads a very different life.
He shares a special bond with his co-star who is also his sibling in real life. Fans might already know that Sebastian is the twin brother of Gabrielle Dowling, who plays Cathy on the show. The pair have been part of Emmerdale since 2008, starting their journey as child actors.
Heath Hope died on New Year’s Eve
(Image: ITV)
Gabrielle and Sebastian, who play Heath and Cathy on the show, weren’t always in these roles
(Image: ITV)
Gabrielle and Sebastian, who play Heath and Cathy on the show, weren’t always in these roles. In 2007, babies Ella Whitehouse Downes and Lilith Kitching played the parts for the first few episodes, as Sebastian had to stay in hospital for a week after his birth.
The twins also have an older brother, Oliver. Unlike Gabrielle and Sebastian, Oliver prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
Heath has just been killed off in a tragic car crash
(Image: No credit)
Gabrielle and Sebastian were lucky to land their roles on the soap when they were just four weeks old. Gabrielle shared that being part of the show has greatly influenced their upbringing.
She said: “The studio and village have been a huge part of my life along with my brother’s. Having celebrated birthdays on set allowed me to feel close with the people around me and showed me how much of a family we are.”
Sebastian’s real age is not the same as his character’s
(Image: ITV)
Although Cathy and Heath are supposed to be around 16 years old on the show, Gabrielle and Sebastian are actually a year older than their characters in real life.
Young actors, Sebastian and Gabrielle, both already 17 years old, joined Emmerdale shortly after they were born, although a health concern with Sebastian delayed their debut.
Their mum, Louise, has been massively supportive of her twins chasing an acting dream.
Louise even took part in filming techniques that required the babies to cry, by offering them milk then taking it away.
Louise commented on this saying: “It’s only for a few seconds while they film. I’m chilled out about it.”
You can catch Emmerdale every weekday at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI engine, which speeds up OK!’s editorial research and applies it to article templates created by journalists in our newsrooms. An OK! editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to okletters@reachplc.com
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