Danny Miller is to leave his role of Aaron Livesy in Emmerdale.
Danny Miller has revealed his decision to depart ITV soap Emmerdale as he looks ahead to pastures new including a stint on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of here!.
“I’d like to think I’m very, very far away from Aaron and that’s part of the reason why I wanted to do [I’m A Celeb]. I’ve actually left Emmerdale, I unfortunately decided to start a new path in life. I’ve got my baby now and I’m getting married next year, it felt like the right time to open a new chapter in my life. I’m very, very emotional about it actually, it’s been a massive part of my life…
“I’ve wanted to spread my wings for a while and a show like this can give me the opportunity to see what else happens after it. [I can] start a new life with my family and see what happens,” the actor said of his upcoming reality TV stint.
The actor further noted that his welcoming his first child – a boy named Albert – with fiancée Steph Jones had given an opportunity to re-evaluate his life.
“We work Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm, so for me, having a new baby, as a lot of the cast that have kids know, it’s very difficult to be able to spend much time with them and you don’t get a lot of time off. Obviously, when you’re in a contract and in a fantastic show like Emmerdale, you’re at the hands of the storylines and the writers. That’s something that I wanted to free them of and free myself of, because I wanted to make sure that I could pick and choose, and be there for my baby if I needed to be.”
Danny originally portrayed Aaron between 2008 and 2012 and in that time fronted a number of major storylines in the rural saga.
The character struggled with his sexuality and was later involved in an assisted suicide plot when his tetraplegic partner Jackson (Marc Silcock) begged him to help him die.
The actor reprised the role in 2014 and Aaron’s storylines have since included his tumultuous relationship with Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) and revealing that he was sexually abused by his father when he was a child.
“I’m hoping that stuff happens after, I’m not holding my breath because why should I?,” Danny said of the future. “‘But I can have more time with the family and then see what happens.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV/STV/UTV with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursday.
