Who was Anthony Fox in Emmerdale and what happened to him?

| Soaps Reporter Published October 14, 2026 12:09pm Updated October 14, 2026 12:09pm He died in 2025 (Picture: ITV/Metro) Ruby Miligan (Beth Cordingly) faces a difficult day in Emmerdale this evening. It’s confirmed in the instalment, now available on ITVX and YouTube, that it’s her father Anthony Fox’s birthday. Fake friend Sadie King (Patsy Kensit) learns that Ruby doesn’t like talking about her dad, and believes this might be the thing she can use against the Miligans to destroy them. Sadie pushes for gossip, but Ruby sticks to her guns and doesn’t share any information. But who was Anthony Fox? And why doesn’t Ruby want to talk about him? Here’s a reminder: Who was Anthony Fox in Emmerdale and what happened to him? Steph didn’t understand why Ruby had a difficult relationship with Anthony (Picture: ITV) Anthony Fox, played by Nicholas Day, arrived in 2024 alongside Steph Miligan (Georgia Jay), Caleb Miligan (William Ash) and Ruby’s daughter. Steph had a strong relationship with her granddad, which Ruby struggled with. Whenever Anthony was around her, Ruby was cold and distant, and viewers eventually learnt the dark and horrific reason why. A flashback revealed that Anthony sexually abused Ruby. After being raped by her dad, 16-year-old Ruby fell pregnant, which resulted in the birth of Steph. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. In January 2025, Anthony was involved in a showdown with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller). He had discovered what Anthony did to Ruby, and became triggered by memories of his own father abusing him. At the depot, Aaron attacked Anthony. He left and returned to the flat, where John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) spotted blood on his partner and realised something was wrong. Ruby was abused by her father (Picture: ITV) John helped everyone cover up Anthony’s death (Picture: ITV) When they got to the depot, Aaron and John realised Anthony was dead. It looked as though Aaron killed him, but neither knew that Ruby went into the depot in the time Aaron wasn’t there and murdered her father. John jumped to help Aaron and disposed of Anthony’s body. He later revealed the burial location to those who knew about what really happened. A few months later, it became apparent that John had lied about where Anthony was buried. He claimed that it was to protect the secret and prevent those involved from slipping up, but he also used the knowledge to to his advantage. After John’s crimes and murder of Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter) were exposed, he plotted to go on the run. He told Caleb that if he didn’t help him leave the country, he would tell the police that Anthony was killed by Ruby. Deals of the Day My skin always suffers when the heating goes on but this serum changed that The skincare formula that finally took the guesswork out of my routine Families can save up to 20% on summer 2027 holidays in Club Med's four-day sale Cold mornings are coming and this is the dressing gown I want to live in Most of us aren't getting enough fibre – this easy supplement could change that In the end, Caleb drove John to Rotterdam. Before he left, John deleted the email he was planning on sending to the police, and also gave Caleb the real location of where Anthony’s body was hidden. Arrow MORE: Big Emmerdale return causes mayhem and Sadie and Joe seek revenge as spoilers reveal what happens next Arrow MORE: Ruby’s murder secret set to be ‘exposed’ by the worst possible person in new Emmerdale video Arrow MORE: Emmerdale confirms Sadie ending with huge twists as Patsy Kensit exits The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.