ITV Emmerdale star Beth Cordingly’s life off-screen from famous ex to former cast member partner

Beth Cordingly is among the latest additions to the cast of Emmerdale, having joined the show just a couple of weeks ago.

The actor, 47, made her debut as Ruby Fox-Miligan on the ITV soap opera last month, with her character introduced as the estranged wife of Caleb Miligan (played by William Ash). Ruby, whose family includes son Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope), has already been “scheming” in the village.

Prior to the role, Beth has appeared in various projects over the years. The performer – who’s understood to be the daughter of writer and historian David Cordingly – previously studied English and Drama at the University of Birmingham, before reportedly training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Early in her acting career she had a role in Family Affairs, before performing in a West End production of Noël Coward’s Semi-Monde. She joined the cast of the Bill in 2020 and played PC Kerry Young until the character was killed off two years later. Her other credits include Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Dead Set and the Burning Girls. She played Debbie Morton, who was a cellmate of Shirley Carter (played by Linda Henry), in EastEnders in 2017.

Beth was once in a relationship with theatre producer Adam Speers, who is among those behind ATG Productions. The company has produced shows like the revival of Sunset Boulevard starring Nicole Scherzinger, and Sunday in the Park with George, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal, that both ran at the Savoy Theatre in the West End, in recent years.

Beth and Adam are said to have got married in 2011 before announcing their separation in 2016, with them said to have since got divorced. The former couple are parents to a 10-year-old daughter together.

More recently, Beth has been dating fellow actor Ian Kelsey, 57, who himself was once in Emmerdale. From 1994 until his departure in 1997, he played Dave Glover, who was romantically involved with the likes of Kim Tate (Claire King). The character died in a fire trying to rescue her son Jamie.