Ross Barton is set for a shock romance on Emmerdale that fans likely will not see coming. The character was last romanticising Steph Miligan, before a fling with Manpreet Sharma. He then had another fling with Charity Dingle, leading to her falling pregnant.
Charity recently gave birth but she and Ross are keeping quiet about baby Leyla's true parentage, with villagers under the impression the baby is Sarah and Jacob Sugden's. Charity had agreed to be a surrogate for her granddaughter Sarah, only to fall pregnant with Ross' baby.
Most recently, Ross appeared to flirt with Gabby Thomas after landing a job at Home Farm. But despite romance rumours, it is not Charity or Gabby that Ross is set to become romantically involved with.
Ross and Laurel: A Surprising Pairing
Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw teased a "little dalliance" between Ross and none other than Laurel Thomas. She shared: "Well, funnily enough, we know he loves an older woman, so there’s going to be a little dalliance between Ross and Laurel!"
"But what we’re also seeing is Gabby beginning to become a little bit smitten with Ross – so we’ll see how she reacts when she finds out that the other woman in Ross’ life is Gabby’s stepmother!" So it seems Gabby could be keen for some romance with Ross.
It seems Ross is a little preoccupied with her stepmother Laurel though, so could there be heartbreak? It may come as a surprise given Ross's debut on the show saw him carjack Laurel, leaving her shaken.
Baby Scandal Fallout
Laura also addressed the future of the baby scandal, as Ross and Charity could soon be exposed. She said: "It’s going to be huge and tear [the family] apart. You really feel for Sarah and Jacob, especially now Leyla has been born, as they’re just so happy as a family. It’s going to be very difficult to come back from, and maybe at that point Sarah will remember that she’s a Sugden and gravitate more towards that side of her family for a little while."
Laura said it might not be the end of Charity and Mackenzie Boyd though. She explained: "They’ve been through so much, and because we know the audience love them as a couple as well, I really hope they can find a way through it. The idea of Charity and Ross getting together has been talked about a lot, but we’ve never actually seen them as a couple. I think while Ross is always going to play a part in everything, Mack and Charity are the big love story for me."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
