{"id":372861,"date":"2025-08-25T17:34:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T17:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/372861\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T17:34:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T17:34:16","slug":"grieving-emmerdale-star-wears-necklace-made-of-dead-dogs-chest-hair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/372861\/","title":{"rendered":"Grieving Emmerdale star wears necklace made of dead dog’s chest hair"},"content":{"rendered":"

Natalie J Robb, who plays Moira Dingle in the ITV soap, opens up about the death of her ‘soul mate’ Bronson, as she and three other stars reveal how much their rescue dogs mean to them<\/p>\n

17:00, 25 Aug 2025Updated 18:01, 25 Aug 2025<\/p>\n

\"NatalieNatalie J Robb with her new rescue dog Buddy(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

To celebrate National Dog Day on Tuesday, four members of the Emmerdale<\/a> cast are sharing heartwarming stories of the pooches that have touched their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was love at first sight when I saw a picture of my rescue dog,\u201d Jonny McPherson<\/a>, who plays Dr Liam Cavanagh, says about his lurcher, Molly.<\/p>\n

Jonny, 43 – one of at least 13 million UK dog owners, according to The Dogs<\/a> Trust – first started looking for a rescue dog during the pandemic. He wanted a pet to keep him company on the canal boat he then lived on in Yorkshire.<\/p>\n

And in January 2021, the RSPCA in Doncaster sent him some pictures of lurchers looking for a new home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI approached five different rescues before I got Molly,\u201d he tells The Mirror<\/a>. \u201cIt was lockdown and they all kept telling me I hadn\u2019t made the shortlist.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when Doncaster RSPCA sent me Molly\u2019s picture, it was love at first sight. She is a cross between a whippet and a bearded collie and was four-and-a-half when I adopted her.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Jonny\u2019s bond with Molly, now nine, has deepened.<\/p>\n

\"JonnyJonny McPherson with his lurcher-cross rescue, Molly(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is possibly the most intelligent and well-behaved dog I have ever encountered,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cAnd I have met a few in my time! I never have to have her on the lead even going through the centre of Leeds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Molly also reminds him of the cartoon favourite Gromit, from Wallace and Gromit.<\/p>\n

He explains: \u201cLike Gromit, she doesn\u2019t bark or make any noises and she has got this characterful face with extraordinarily large eyebrows!\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonny, who now shares a flat in Leeds with Molly, recalls some mishaps when they lived on the boat.<\/p>\n

\u201cMolly did fall into the canal a few times,\u201d he confesses. \u201cShe didn\u2019t really like the water and would much rather sit on top when we were chugging along!<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had so many adventures together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are contemplating getting a rescue dog, then do it.vThey are just sat there waiting for a home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaye Griffiths, who plays the soap superbitch Celia Daniels, pines for her two rescue dogs when she is filming. .<\/p>\n

She says: \u201cI miss my dogs awfully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JayeJaye Griffiths has a whippet and Italian greyhound of her own and pines for them when she’s working away from home<\/p>\n

Jaye, 61, and her husband, Paul, adopted whippet Ernie from a whippet rescue centre eight years ago, after two hospital doctors were forced to give him up because of hectic work schedules.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was nine months old and he was with this gorgeous couple who adored him and gave him the best start,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they were doctors and their shifts changed after they moved hospitals<\/a>. They couldn\u2019t make it work anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving him up was an act of self-sacrifice. The day we took him away, they were broken.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still send them photographs to show he is safe and loved.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Jaye and Paul heard that another dog was looking for a home, they didn\u2019t hesitate to take him in, too.<\/p>\n

Elsie, an Italian greyhound, was 12 weeks old when she was rescued two years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got an email about this tiny little blue and white thing,\u201d recalls Jaye. \u201cA woman had got a puppy and hadn\u2019t realised how much work was involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe put her up for sale. The Italian Greyhound rescue centre saw the ad and stepped in to try and help. We took the puppy and Elsie is two now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the right dog does find you. Dogs are incredible I miss them both terribly when I am filming.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first time Jaye travelled to Leeds from her home in Hertfordshire to film her soap scene after getting Elsie, she made the mistake of talking to her on the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an absolute disaster,\u201d says the star. \u201cPaul says she spent the next four hours running around the house trying to find me. We never did that again!\u201d<\/p>\n

Actress Eden Taylor-Draper<\/a> bonded with a dog on the Emmerdale set.<\/p>\n

Playing Belle Dingle, she bravely stood up to her abusive husband, Tom, by sharing her haunting experience in court.<\/p>\n

\"EdenEden with Piper, who is played by Minnie<\/p>\n

And her dog Piper played a very important role.<\/p>\n

Tom is now serving three years after being found guilty of coercive control and assaulting Belle.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Eden says it was Belle\u2019s love for her dog, Piper, played by a Shih Tzu called Minnie, that gave her character the strength to escape his clutches.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Tom first hurt Belle, he got her a dog,\u201d says the star. \u201cHe knew Belle would do anything to protect Piper. But when things got bad, he would hurt Piper to, in turn, hurt Belle. At one point he even tried to have Piper put down. His jealousy became horrendous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consulting closely with the charity Refuge, Eden, 27, says both she, James Chase, who played Tom, and the soap\u2019s bosses wanted to show how Belle knew she had to stand up to her cruel husband if she was going to protect her dog.<\/p>\n

Eden says: \u201cBelle wanted to save Piper.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great that Emmerdale highlighted how animals can get caught up in domestic abuse cases. People got in touch throughout the Belle\/Tom storyline to say they left their own abusive relationship for their dog. Viewers were sadly relating to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And working with Minnie was great fun, according to Eden.<\/p>\n

She says: \u201cMinnie was just amazing from day one. She was great and so comfortable on set. She got on with James and me. There were scenes where James had to shout or scream, but because Minnie knew him and he always made a fuss of her after the scene, she was never scared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was lovely having her around.<\/p>\n

\u201cBelle does still have Piper, but she isn\u2019t on screen at the moment. I can\u2019t wait to work with her again and when the time is right, I\u2019d love to have a dog of my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natalie J Robb<\/a>, who plays Moira Dingle, is delighted to have a new rescue dog, Buddy, two, after losing her first dog, Bronson, 18 months ago, aged 15.<\/p>\n

\"NatalieNatalie with her dog Bronson(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

The Scottish star, 50, known to millions as Moira Dingle, says Bronson\u2019s death in February 2024 hit her hard.<\/p>\n

Single and childfree, Bronson, a cross breed of Japanese Akita and Rottweiler, was her soul mate when she rescued him, aged two.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hadn\u2019t experienced grief like it and it was awful,\u201d she confides, remembering his death. \u201cI missed him so much.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found it particularly hard coming home from a day\u2019s filming and him not being there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friends encouraged Natalie to get a new dog, but she needed time to grieve.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough,\u201d she adds. \u201cI had a necklace made with his chest hair inside and he is by my heart. I never take it off other than when I am playing Moira.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in the summer, fate played its part.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne night I woke up crying,\u201d says Natalie. \u201cI\u2019d had a dream with this big blonde dog running through the woods with me. He had black eyes and a black snout. Bronson was there and he came and looked at me. But I woke up because it wasn\u2019t Bronson.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two weeks later, Natalie spotted an advert from a Spanish rescue centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spotted this photo of a mastiff dog looking exactly the same as the one in my dream\u201d she says. \u201cIt was as if Bronson was telepathic and sending me a message. I rang them up and while I couldn\u2019t meet him because of work, I saw lots of videos of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the dream, I knew this dog was for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four-and-a-half months after her first enquiry, Buddy arrived by boat in the UK last November.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was about 3am when he was brought to my house,\u201d she recalls. \u201cHe was seven- months-old and I could see these big legs like Bambi! He immediately came and lay down by me and we cuddled. He is so affectionate and gentle.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Bronson will never be forgotten, Natalie is overjoyed to have Buddy, now one.<\/p>\n

\u201cDogs give out so much love, it\u2019s so rewarding,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

*If you would like to rescue and\/or adopt a dog, contact your local rescue centre, The Dogs Trust or the RSPCA.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Natalie J Robb, who plays Moira Dingle in the ITV soap, opens up about the death of her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372862,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[933,23272,959,77,2207,130452,18092,960,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-372861","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-domestic-violence","10":"tag-emmerdale","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-hospitals","13":"tag-jaye-griffiths","14":"tag-rspca","15":"tag-soap-operas","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115090611662361472","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}