Emmerdale aired tragic news on Friday as a beloved character was said to possibly have weeks to live, while the episode saw two married cast members share scenes

Emmerdale aired rare scenes for a real life couple on Friday, following some devastating news.

As Cain Dingle learned some sad news about a beloved family member, he was joined onscreen by vet Rhona Goskirk. Of course offscreen, Jeff Hordley and wife Zoe Henry, who play the characters, are married.

It's very rare that the characters interact on the ITV soap, despite both being in the roles for decades. But the cast members have addressed this in the past, happy to keep their character separate.

Zoe's character Rhona had just broken the news to Cain and his wife Moira Dingle that their dog Monty might not survive longer than a few weeks. Monty had been diagnosed with cancer in a recent episode, and sadly his health has rapidly declined since.

In the latest visit to the Dales, it was Cain who was initially in danger after falling and trapping his leg during a camping trip. But with Cain rescued, it was soon revealed Monty was in a bad way.

The beloved dog, who joined the family in 2018, collapsed, and was checked over at home by vet Rhona. When asked how long Monty had to live, Rhona said she could not give an exact timeframe.

Moira noted that Rhona's colleague Paddy Dingle previously suggested Monty only had months to live. Rhona then dropped the heartbreaking news that Monty's time was now running out.

She told Cain and Moira that Monty may only survive for "weeks". Cain choked up and left the room, as Moira also sobbed as she watched Monty on the sofa.

Fans noted the scenes between Cain and Rhona, mentioning how rare it was for married cast members Jeff and Zoe to be in on the show together. In 2022, Zoe addressed why it was a good thing that she and her husband Jeff are not always filming together.

Speaking to Lorraine Kelly, she said: "Which is great," when Lorraine mentioned their lack of scenes together. She went on: "We have a separate existence at work and we like that. We often do line learning together."

She also revealed having separate scenes and filming schedules worked quite well for the pair, as during busy filming times, they can take it in turns to focus on things at home.

Jeff and Zoe married in 2003, and the pair have two children. The pair met at drama school in the 90s, and they have been together ever since.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .