ITV Emmerdale fans 'work out' Ruby isn't 'Caleb's daughter's real mum' in huge DNA twist

Emmerdale fans are spinning theories, convinced that Ruby Miligan can't possibly be Calebs daughter Stephanies real mother.

The plot thickened this week with the revelation that Caleb (portrayed by Will Ash) has a daughter named Stephanie. Devotees of the soap will recall that Caleb and Ruby have a son, Nicky Milligan (played by Lewis Cope), who departed from the village with his partner.

Recently, Caleb visited the mum of wife Ruby, played by Beth Cordingly, in hospital. The estrangement between mother Helen (Sharon Maughan) and daughter is rooted in her disowning Ruby over her union with Caleb. While at hospital, Helen inquired about 'Stephanie', prompting an angry response from Caleb who warned, "Don't you dare say my kids' names," before exiting abruptly.

As fate would have it, Helen passed away, and within minutes of her death, Ruby turned up at the hospital. Subsequent to these events, Thursday's episode (dated September 19) delivered another mention of Stephanie.

Ruby made a heart-wrenching admission about her daughter's situation, also painting a picture of her own maternal insecurities possibly stemming from the absence of her own mother, reports Leeds Live.

Soap enthusiasts are buzzing with speculation of a major DNA surprise looming on Emmerdale. Sharing their theories online, some fans believe Stephanie may not be Ruby's sibling but rather Helen's offspring.

An intrigued fan posted on forum X: "Oooooh I wonder if Caleb got Ruby's mum pregnant and the child was his??"

Another echoed this sentiment on an Emmerdale Facebook fan page, "I wonder if Caleb's the father and maybe him and Ruby's mum were having an affair lol (anything is possible in soap land)."

A third chimed in with, "I was thinking this, I wouldn't put it past the writers."

Concurrently, other viewers are anticipating Stephanie's imminent arrival. Online theorists suggest she could make her entrance during Helen's funeral.

One viewer anticipated, "Steph will probably be at the funeral and see Caleb and Ruby," while another surmised, "Well that's Caleb's daughter making her first appearance at the funeral then." Lastly, someone suggested, "Probably how she arrives."

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm