EMMERDALE’S Kim Tate will need to watch her back, warns legendary TV actress Jaye Griffiths as she prepares to play the soap’s new ‘super bitch’.
Jaye, 61, joins the hit ITV soap tonight as new farmer Celia and it’s not long before she is squaring up to the Yorkshire village’s female residents.
First to face her scheming and manipulative behaviour is Moira Dingle.
Celia turns up at her farmhouse asking to rent two fields. But despite being desperate for cash, Moira turns her down – much to the fury of Celia.
But in an exclusive interview today, Jaye admits her character will also have a few run ins with Kim Tate, played by Claire King, in the months to come.
And when it comes to who is the biggest soap super bitch, Jaye reveals Celia will be an even icier character.
She told The Sun: “It’s Moira who feels Celia’s wrath to start with but let’s put it this way Kim and Celia will be having the odd chat! Kim will have a competitor.
“Here we have got two women who don’t apologise for taking up space. Celia won’t diminish herself to make people feel comfortable and she will never apologise for anything.
She is simply out to get exactly she wants and everyone is going to have to watch out!”
Explaining why her character will be so bitchy; Jaye added: “Kim does have some humanity but Celia lacks it completely.
“There are occasions when Kim recognises her behaviour is out of order whereas Celia never does that. She doesn’t realise she is being mean, it’s more a case of ‘give me what I want’.”
She predicts that if Kim and Celia do unite, then it will be a powerful duo.
“It’s going to be a strong combination with Kim and Celia,” hinted the actress.
“Most women my age would always stand aside – Celia won’t be!’
Jaye has starred in a string of big BBC dramas, including Silent Witness, Doctors and Casualty, over the years. She also played DI Sally Johnson in The Bill.
But it’s her new Emmerdale role as the soap super bitch that really excites her. Readily admitting she is a huge fan of actress Claire King; she reveals the two actresses are both feeling excited that they will get to work together in the months to come.
“Claire has been on holiday,” she explained.
“So, we haven’t quite started the filming. But we have been messaging each other and we are both looking forward to our scenes together.
Kim Tate’s biggest Emmerdale storylines
First appearing in 1989, Kim Tate (Claire King) is an iconic Emmerdale character. Here’s a look at some of her biggest storylines over the years.
MARRIAGE TO FRANK TATE
Kim has been married three times in the soap, but her first, volatile pairing was with Frank Tate (Norman Bowler)
They were an on-screen partnership for almost a decade – including divorcing and remarrying.
However, Frank ultimately suffered a fatal heart attack, brought on by Kim’s return to the village after being presumed dead.
During the marriage, Kim had affairs with Neil Kincaid (Brian Deacon) and Dave Glover (Ian Kelsey).
FAKING HER OWN DEATH
Kim disappeared from the village in February 1997. A few days later, Frank identified a woman found dead at the wheel of her car as Kim.
However, everyone was in for a shock after Kim revealed she was still alive – and the full extent of her plan.
While she’d fled to the Caribbean, Kim had paid a lookalike prostitute to drive her car around the village to fool people into thinking she was still there. It was, in fact, her body that Frank previously identified.
JAMES’ KIDNAPPING
Kim’s business partnership with Lord Alex Oakwell (Rupam Maxwell), resulted in the death of Linda Fowler (Tonicha Jeronimo), in a car crash.
As an act of revenge, Linda’s mother Jan (Roberta Kerr) kidnapped Kim’s son James.
DEPARTURE
After a decade of causing chaos, Kim left Emmerdale in 1999 as she fled in a helicopter with her son James and £190,000 of Chris Tate’s money.
LATER MARRIAGES
Upon Kim’s return in 2018, she was first revealed to be married to Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough).
However, he was later killed off in a whodunnit storyline.
She later pursued a relationship with her employee Will Taylor (Dean Andrews), marrying him in 2022.
“I am a fan of Claire’s in a mild geeky way and she has been extraordinarily kind. I am so looking forward to our adventures together.
“I’m loving it so far filming my scenes and everyone has been so welcoming on set. Celia is one of the best parts I have ever had because she is so manipulative!”
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But it won’t just be Emmerdale’s female residents who will have to watch out. Paddy Dingle will also get attacked by one of Celia’s security dogs in the first few weeks, leaving him hospitalised.
“She won’t say sorry though,” warned Jaye. “It’s never her fault!”
Emmerdale runs every weekday on ITV1 and STV1 at 7.30pm.
