Emmerdale star Danny Miller has been forced to set the record straight after fake social media posts spread "awful" lies that his father, Vince Miller, had died. The actor took to Facebook to denounce the misinformation, which included false claims that his dad had been killed in a tragic car accident.
Danny's Emotional Response to Fake News
In a video posted on Facebook, an emotional Danny said: "My dad's alive. What an awful, awful thing to just be on your main grid. Imagine the day when it actually comes and the sad news happens, if that happens before me with his dementia, people go 'oh I thought he died two years ago'. My dad is alive."
He revealed that the fake posts had caused distress among his family, including his 17-year-old niece, who messaged him asking if the news was true. "Family members and old friends of his messaging me, and I thought I'll just address it on here and hopefully people will get that he is alive," Danny added.
Background: Vince Miller's Dementia Diagnosis
Danny first opened up about his father's dementia diagnosis last year. Since then, he has been increasingly open on social media, documenting the reality of living with and loving someone with the disease. Last month, he shared an emotionally raw update in a video urging others to speak out, inspired by his former Emmerdale co-star Charley Webb.
In that video, he said: "If you're still lucky enough to have a relationship with your parents, you still have them around whether they're together, separated, if they're still here and you still get to talk to them just cherish that moment. One day that might not happen and I'll tell you now, from my experience, it'll bl****y hurt. My dad has dementia and I've just had to pull over after having a visit for him just to calm down, re evaluate everything."
Soap Operas Warn About AI-Generated Fake Content
Earlier this year, both Coronation Street and Emmerdale issued statements warning fans about AI-generated Facebook pages posting "fake news" about the programmes and their actors. The joint statement, shared on Facebook on June 9, read: "It has been brought to our attention that a lot of AI generated Facebook pages are posting fake news about Emmerdale and Coronation Street actors and the programmes in general. Some of these posts are extremely hurtful and damaging to reputations."
The statement advised fans to follow only genuine news outlets and report suspicious accounts. This is not the first time the two soaps have joined forces to address such issues; in January, they issued a similar warning about scam artists impersonating cast members.
Danny's Message to Fans
Danny concluded his video by urging fans not to believe everything they read on social media. "One thing about the spotlight, public eye, fame, whatever you want to call it. I've been involved in this world for over half my life and I've read some **** about me in the past, making it up and these are journalists, but now we've got every day people making Facebook and Instagram accounts and posting utter *****," he said.
He added: "I've seen some rubbish in the past, but when it's affecting the family personally and then affecting me indirectly, it's just something I just had to tell."
