Emmerdale’s Jacob is STILL in love with paedo Maya after her arrest and wants her back, reveals Matthew Wolfenden
EMMERDALE star Matthew Wolfenden says his onscreen son Jacob is STILL in love with paedophile teacher Maya Stepney – even after her long-awaited arrest.
Maya – who was Jacob’s teacher and David’s girlfriend – has been grooming and abusing the schoolboy for months.
But the truth about their twisted relationship soon began unravelling during the special Big Night Out episode earlier this month.
Maya will be taken away by cops in scenes that air next week – and Matthew has revealed that the arrest is just the start of a longer journey ahead for Jacob, who’s hoping to get back with Maya.
Matthew says: “David absolutely believes he has done the right thing. Now that he knows the truth, he absolutely despises Maya.
“There’s no emotion over losing his girlfriend. That completely goes out of the window and it’s now pure, unadulterated hate. David wants Maya to go away to prison and for the key to be thrown away.
“Jacob actually witnesses Maya being handcuffed and put into the police car.
“He’s obviously devastated and thinks that David has completely ruined his life. He still wants to be with Maya and thinks they’re in love.
“This is the start of the hard times for David and Jacob. The fact that Maya has been arrested is not the end of the storyline. I think it’s the beginning of the next chapter.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next, because as far as Jacob thinks, David has ruined his life. I don’t know if he’s ever going to come around to the fact that David hasn’t. It’s definitely not going to be a quick fix.”
David also praised actor Joe-Warren, who plays Jacob, for doing such a good job with the storyline.
He said: “I’m very proud of Joe-Warren. It’s incredible that he’s been put up for Best Young Performer at the Soap Awards, which I think he deserves more than anything.
“I’ve been with Joe now since he was 7 years old, when he first auditioned for the show. I’ve seen him grow up into somebody who’s nearly a foot taller than me, which is very annoying!
“He’s just blossomed within this storyline. I know he’s 17 now, but the show has given a child actor such a huge storyline. The way that he’s gone about it – so professional and grown up – is incredible.
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“There’s lots of amazing stuff that we’ve filmed that’s still yet to be shown. He’s been fantastic and I’m super proud of him.”
Emmerdale bosses have promised that the storyline would be concluded responsibly.
Show boss Kate Brooks told Metro back in March: “We’ve got a responsibility.
“A lot of people watch the show, a lot of teenagers watch the show, and also we would never just tell one of these stories lightly.
“We have a duty to make sure the right protocol is carried out, and the right outcome.
“It can make for uncomfortable viewing but I think it’s a really important storyline to tell.”
She added: “There’s still a long way to go, it’s not going to be as straightforward as you’d imagine, there’s going to be other obstacles thrown into the mix.
“We want people to be yelling at the TV ‘please tell somebody. This is not right! You’re a young lad. Please speak out about this'”
Fans were stunned last week when it was revealed that Maya – who Leyla thought she’d killed – was alive and well and staying with Jacob in a hotel while the schoolboy pretended to be in Portugal.
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