Has Steph Miligan left Emmerdale for good as Georgia Jay quits?

Will we ever see Steph Miligan again in Emmerdale?

Maybe, but chances are she’ll have a different face, as Georgia Jay has reportedly left the ITV soap during her maternity leave and has no plans to return.

While her departure was initially believed to be temporary, it’s since become a permanent one, as Georgia has quit the show to focus on motherhood.

Fans had previously expressed their excitement when Georgia took to Instagram, sharing an image taken on the Emmerdale set, and those hoping for a Steph return were later sent into another tizzy when Georgia shared a picture of a trip to the hairdressers, with a blurred-out script set out in front of her.

Steph’s time in Emmerdale

Steph’s tenure in the Yorkshire Dales was marked by two big plots: her relationship with Ross Barton (Mike Parr) and the discovery that that her beloved grandfather Anthony Fox (Nicholas Day) was actually her biological father and not Caleb Miligan (William Ash), after he abused her mum,

Ross and Steph had formed quite a bond after getting together initially through a combination of lust and Steph wanting to wind her parents up. The relationship evolved into one of genuine affection on both sides, but it was completely upended when she discovered the truth of her parentage.

In the aftermath of discovering Anthony’s abuse and that he’d been killed by her mum, Steph became fixated on her resemblance to him and was so desperate she even tried to have surgery to alter her appearance. Ross wanted to support her through this hard time, but she pushed him away, though she did begin going to therapy to try to help her move on.

Steph and Ross later reunited, with his brother, Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches), playing cupid for them, though their reunion hinged on Ross’ declaration that there hadn’t been anyone else in his life since he and Steph broke up.

The biggest problem being that their was, as he’d had a fling with Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) who unknowingly revealed all to Lewis and Ruby, meaning it was only a matter of time before word got back to Steph.

Poor Steph, who had worked hard to tell herself that she could trust Ross again, was devastated shoved him straight in the bin. Reeling and wounded, Steph told her parents that she’d booked a yoga retreat in Rome, needing to get away from the village for a while. Though Ross tried to get her to change her mind, Steph made it clear she didn’t want to be anywhere near him.

Georgia takes maternity leave

Steph’s exit was written to facilitate Georgia Jay’s maternity leave, following the announcement she was expecting her first baby. Announcing her pregnancy on Instagram, Georgia wrote: ‘As you’ve probably guessed, I’ve got some news to share! I know some of you have been wondering if you’ve been seeing a little bump on screen lately… well, it’s not your imagination…I’m having a baby!’.

She added: ‘We’ve never been so excited and a little nervous all at once. Thank you for all the love and support.’

Georgia has no plans to return

A source told The Sun this week that: ‘Georgia loved her time at Emmerdale but she has no plans to return now.

‘She’s loving being a mum, and that’s her focus for now. Obviously, she’s open to opportunities but returning to a full-on soap schedule full-time is just not something she can do at the moment.’

While this doesn’t mean the end of Steph, with Soapworld being one of frequent recasts, it does seem to draw a line under Georgia’s time with the show, and should Steph re-emerge in the Dales, she could look entirely different.