Showbiz 5: Remembering Steve Halliwell

Steve died earlier this week, aged 77, with ITV releasing a statement which said; ‘It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that Emmerdale can confirm that Steve Halliwell, our beloved Zak Dingle, has peacefully passed away. All our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones through this very difficult time, and we’d request that their privacy is respected as they grieve for his loss. Steve will forever be synonymous with Emmerdale. The proud defender and head of the Dingle family. Heart and humour in all he did, it has been and always will be impossible not to smile when you think of him.’

One of the first co-stars to pay tribute was Lisa Riley who plays Zak Dingle’s niece, Mandy,

“My dearest Steve, love you so much. You are now finally at peace. Thank you for years of laughter, you were still laughing right up to the end. Adored, loved, respected by us all, a legend in my eyes that’s for sure. We have stories and memories to last for many more years to come.”

Danny Miller, who plays Arron in the soap said,

“From day one he took me under his wing and helped guide me on and off set. He never failed to effortlessly make me and everyone else corpse with a simple look or grunt or ‘mmmm EH?!’ The King of the ‘double takes’ and the King of The Dingles. We’ll miss you mate. On and off set. Rest well Steve and leave one in the pump for me.”

Steve with Bernard Youen in a scene from Coronation Street

Mark Charnock who portrays Marlon,

“Hard to put into words what he meant to us all. From day one, he welcomed me with open arms. Endless chats about the nature of the world. Endless hilarity. So many funny stories. He was so talented: actor, writer,, drummer; artist; philosopher. But more than that – he was so loved.”

James Hooton who features in Emmerdale as Zak’s son Sam added,

“A soap icon and a great friend has passed away today! Steve Halliwell was the first person I met when I walked through the door into the Emmerdale studios and we remained friends until the end! A truly loved character and a strong proud man, RIP Steve you will be sadly missed.“

Musician Chantel McGregor shared,

“…Steve was an incredible man, so artistic and poetic. …I remember him introducing me at the 100 Club the first time I ever played there, it meant the world to me. I’m absolutely devastated to lose a beautiful family friend and I just want to give all the love in the world to all of his family. To us he was Steve, one of the nicest people ever, to those who never had the pleasure of knowing him, he was Zak from Emmerdale, he’ll always be part of me.”