Major Emmerdale character confirmed as Thea’s dad by Kim 26 years after his exit

DS Thea Ramsden (Chelsea Edge) is about to discover the identity of her biological father – and Emmerdale fans are going to lose it.

The Dales detective is about to find out the truth behind her long lost daddy, which is saying something, because she’s only just found out who her mum is.

That would be the steely-eyed Queen of Home Farm herself, Kim Tate (Claire King).

Growing up without either parent was hard for Thea, so naturally when she reached the conclusion that Kim and Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) were planning to sell Baby Tate, she was determined to save that baby – even if it meant kidnapping.

Cue a Scream-style Halloween episode where Thea broke into the house to take the baby, only to end up in an altercation with Kim which ended in Thea getting stabbed by her own mother.

Although Thea initially rejected Kim at first, she continues probing… and is about to get some stunning information about her father in upcoming episodes of Emmerdale.

After Kim thanks Thea for lying to the police for her, Thea makes it clear that she’s still far from forgiving her for everything. She asks Kim about her father, and Kim reveals her dad as Steve Marchant.

Die-hard fans may remember Steve during his time in Emmerdale from 1996-1999, as part of the village’s big power-couple with then-wife Kim.

However, things turned sour when Steve changed from a charming city entrepreneur into a desperate, opportunistic businessman – ending in Kim framing him for horse theft. As you do.

Fans have previously been sceptical of the idea that the daddy would be Steve, holding out hope that Graham was the real father instead.

But now the truth is out there, how will affect Thea’s relationship with Kim? Will Steve be making a return to the Dales for an impromptu family reunion?