Dominic Brunt welded sheet metal for a living until he decided to attend drama school at the prestigious Old Vic in Bristol.

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Born and raised in Lancashire, 46-year-old year Brunt had bit parts on series such as police procedural The Bill (1995) and detective drama Inspector Morse (1996) before landing the part of Paddy Kirk on Emmerdale in 1997.

He was initially signed for eight episodes on the soap, but has since become one of the longest serving actors on the show. For his work as bumbling vet Paddy, Brunt received a Best Actor nomination at the 2011 British Soap Awards.

Brunt, a self-confessed zombie fan, organised Leeds’ first zombie film festival in 2008, together with Emmerdale castmate Mark Charnock. He also starred in the 2012 zombie flick, Before Dawn.

He has also raised thousands of pounds for charity through appearances on celebrity game show specials – such as All Star Family Fortunes (2012) and The Chase: Celebrity Special (2015).

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Brunt’s wife, Joanna Mitchell, recently joined the soap as Aaron Livesy’s stepmother Sandra. They live in West Yorkshire with their two children, and a menagerie that includes three cats, two dogs, and several chickens.


Paddy Kirk first showed up in Emmerdale to work at the local vet surgery as a locum. He fell in love with Mandy Dingle, but their troubled romance soon ended and Paddy eventually married her ex-husband’s other ex – Emily Dingle.

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That relationship fizzled out due to an affair on Paddy’s part, but he hasn’t mended his cheating ways – he’s recently cheated on wife Rhona with teaching assistant Tess, only for to then be killed in a hit and run.

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