The tea has been spilled in Emmerdale: DS Thea Ramsden’s (Chelsea Edge) seemingly random beef with the village’s reigning Queen Bee, Kim Tate (Claire King), isn’t so random after all.

Nope, as it turns out, Thea is Kim’s daughter, who she quickly birthed and handed over for adoption back in 1999, shortly before she hopped into a helicopter and escaped the Yorkshire Dales following a reign of terror.

As it turns out, though, actress Claire was as shocked as the rest of us!

‘It surprised me that she had a daughter! I didn’t know that. I don’t think anybody knew that! That surprised me,’ she admitted.

While we know the big secret, Kim is still unaware, with Claire explaining her alter-ego’s reaction to Thea’s actions toward her: ‘I think Kim’s just got this feeling that this woman, this DS Ramsden, has got it in for her.

‘Certain people, Kim thinks, ‘This woman doesn’t like me, for some reason…’ She wants to find out why. Has she done something? Why is she gunning for her? But obviously doesn’t realise the truth.

‘But she does suspect that this woman is going for her, and is very surprised when she’s arrested, because she actually has nothing to do with it, for once! She’s really blindsided by it.’

So when will Kim discover the truth? According to Claire, not for a while: ‘There’s quite a long way to go before we get to the reaction, because of certain storylines. There are a lot of ins and outs and ups and downs on the route to that.’

Did Kim ever anticipate reuniting with her daughter?

‘I think, to a certain extent, she always says, ‘I’d never have forgotten you, blah blah blah…’

‘But I think she really wanted to just wipe it out of her brain, because she thought she was giving her to a good home, that she was happy.

‘It was down to her daughter, Thea, to find her because she had no idea where she was. And I think she’s put it in the back of her mind.’

Claire is excited to film the inevitable showdown when Kim finally does discover the truth: ‘I think there will be some very big scenes because of all the intricacies and the backstories involved with it. Who’s the father? Thea is going to want to know that, so we’ve got to delve into that and go into a bit of history.’

Thea isn’t the only one, Claire! Will she spill the tea to us?!

Spoiler alert: no.

‘I was thinking, ‘Okay, so it could be so-and-so’s, and it could be so-and-so’s,’ because it was just after I’d left the first time, so we’re talking about the turn of the century because she’s about 26.

‘It was just after Kim left in the helicopter, so you’ve got to put two and two together and see who you come up with.’

With Thea’s arrival, will we see any more Tate’s? Claire sure hopes so: ‘We’re outnumbered by Dingles! We need more Tates. And every now and then, they keep whipping one away! Will went, Dawn’s gone. Okay, Graham went but he’s back!

‘I’ve mentioned my mother and a sister, and I know I’d love to have someone like Amanda Barrie or Stephanie Beacham because it would just be bonkers. And I’ve worked with them both, so I know how they work!’

Now I know all of my fellow Bad Girls fans’ hearts just skipped a beat right there!

With Thea back, Kim’s son Jamie (Alexander Lincoln) out there somewhere, and her maternal relationship with Joe Tate (Ned Porteous), can she forsee a time that Kim and and her brood will all be together?

‘I think it’d be lovely to have all the kids together, but it would be absolute carnage!’ she warned.

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