Emmerdale revisits one of its previous relationships this week as Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) comes face-to-face with Ross Barton (Michael Parr) for the first time in six years.
Ross, as viewers know, returned to the eponymous village last week when it was revealed that he was none other than the mystery opponent tasked with facing off with Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) in an illegal underground fight.
Mackenzie Boyd’s (Lawrence Robb) presence at the event is what ultimately led to Ross deciding to stick around as he squared up to the farmhand over the role he plays in son Moses’ life.
The rivalry between the two men has certainly set the screen alight this past few episodes, with Ross determined to cause trouble between Mack and Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) – the latter being a former flame of his.
But with fight organiser Jade (Twinnie Lee Moore) back in town demanding a rematch between him and Billy, Ross’ attention is elsewhere this week – as he urges Billy to partake in the fight for the good of his family.
This ultimately brings him back into Dawn’s orbit.
Dawn, as you might recall, is another former flame of Ross’ but if you’re struggling to remember all the details then fear not as I’ve got you covered.
Dawn might be a much-loved mainstay of Emmerdale now but once upon a time she didn’t feature in the show at all – and we’ve actually got Ross to thank for bringing her to the village.
The character was a sex worker who crossed paths with Ross in 2018. Ross was on the hunt for Simon McManus, the man who threw acid at him.
Dawn initially denied knowing Simon but ultimately she spilled the beans, confirming that the villain allowed her and her friends – Lee and Connor – to stay at his place.
Lee, who had actually reported Simon to the police, died after a drugs overdose and Dawn informed Ross all about the tragedy and, as the two grew closer, she opened up about her own son Lucas, who was taken into care due to her drug use.
Ross was sympathetic towards Dawn and the two became quite close. Their bond was more friendship than romance, though there was a kiss or two along the way, as Dawn dropped by the village every now and again to say hi.
During one visit, she crossed paths with Ryan Stocks (James Moore) who, as viewers know, was quite friendly with Dawn for quite some time afterwards.
Ross subsequently left the village and the next time Dawn showed up, Pete (Antony Quinlan) allowed her to stay.
It didn’t take long for Dawn to become a regular fixture of Emmerdale – and she successfully got Lucas back after some help from her loved ones. And the rest as they say is history!
