Can we trust her? Can we not? Is she evil? Is she misunderstood? Emmerdale’s latest villain Celia Daniels is somewhat of an enigma to fans at the moment as we try and work out what is genuine about her and what is not.

For now, we have seen flashes of a vicious and conniving side but also hopes that she can form bonds with characters like Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb).

 

 

So should we really be fearing her? Surely she has some redeeming features, right? Well, according to TV stalwart Jaye Griffiths, seemingly not as fans should expect the unexpected from developments in the storyline, with the worst very much yet to come for the character.

Bad news for anyone who was banking on a long Moira and Celia friendship then!

Metro caught up with the actress, known for many roles across TV drama including Casualty, Doctors and The Bill, as I tried to dig deeper into the character I am finding most intriguing right now.

 

 

‘Oh, the worst is yet to come, by far! This is only the beginning. Oh goodness me, yes, there is more to come,’ Jaye told me with a deliciously knowing cackle.

I have to respect her for keeping her cards close to her chest as she has known what Celia’s outcome and endgame is since the beginning, with an arc planned that will throw several twists that will leave you gobsmacked.

Jaye eventually trusted me with some juicy gossip that I am holding close to my chest until it happens – I wouldn’t dare risk a wallop from Celia’s stick if I gave the game away but I can promise you there are some shocks in store. And yes, Celia is as wicked as we have been warned.

‘I knew on day one!’ she grinned. ‘The producers were fantastic and told me how the arc of the story went. I didn’t tell anybody what I already knew until they’d read the scripts. It’s just a joy knowing where she’s going to get to.

‘Because at the moment she befriends Moira, and in another universe Mira and Celia would be friends – just not in this one! The fact Moira opens a small window on what could have been… She shuts that pretty quick!’

On what makes Celia tick, Jaye went on: ‘She’s single-minded, and if you get in her way – get out of her way. This is what I love about her. She doesn’t understand why you people don’t understand. Do what I want or suffer the consequences!

‘It’s not complicated – just do what I want you to do and all will be well. When she meets resistance, that’s when the fun begins, because she’ll deal with you differently as she deals with every person in the village differently, according to their character which she is very good at summing up very quickly. She’s not evil, she’s just… different!

‘Nothing she has said could be taken as truth in any way, shape or form. So if you start there, that everything that comes out of her mouth may be, but probably isn’t, the truth. Reading the scripts, there was a lovely distinction to make between when you’re telling the truth and why, and when is she being circumspect and just manipulating the conversation.

‘It’s just a minefield, it’s fantastic. And that goes on every day – I look and think, “Is she telling the truth?”

‘I don’t mean she’s lying. That’s what’s so clever about Celia. She doesn’t tell lies, she says what will best suit the endgame. For her, that’s a distinction. For the rest of the world, we call it lying.’

I personally, like many fans, adore Celia and Jaye confirms that she does get a lot of love from viewers who are enjoying the campness of the character but she has warned that with what’s to come, we probably won’t like her for much longer!

But the person who is relishing her the most is clearly Jaye herself, who gets to play her own outrageous and complete opposite while soaking up the countryside.