Natalie J Robb: Childhood star, co-star romance and a stint as a popstar

Natalie J Robb is best known for playing Emmerdale’s feisty farmer Moira Dingle. A former child star, the actress joined the long-running soap in 2009.

Natalie was cast as the matriarch of the Bartons – a modern farming family who were brought in by former series producer, Gavin Blyth to spice things up.

And Moira has definitely been caught up in a few scandals.

The sexy Scot has a weakness for a bad boy, and her affairs with Cain Dingle, brother-in-law James Barton and stepson Nate Robinson certainly got the fans talking.

But it’s not all been about rolling around in the haystacks.

Moira also has faced terrible tragedy, with the loss of her first husband John and the shocking death of their daughter Holly to a heroin overdose.

But what is there to know about the woman who plays one of the Dales’ strongest women?

Who is Natalie J Robb?

Natalie J Robb is a British actress who plays Emmerdale’s Moira Dingle.

Now in the fortieth year of her career, Natalie has been professionally acting since the tender age of nine.

Fans may also remember her for playing Trish McDonald in Scottish soap Take the High Road and Jude Carlyle in Doctors.

How old is Natalie J Robb?

Natalie Joy Robb was born on December 3, 1974, making her 49-years-old. She grew up in Bellshill, which is located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Natalie is the youngest of three children and has an older brother and sister.

She started acting classes at a young age, which is where she was discovered by director Alan Macmillan. Natalie went on to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Moira Dingle in Emmerdale?

Natalie plays the vivacious Moira Dingle. She’s been married to mechanic Cain Dingle since 2014, but things haven’t always been plain sailing for the couple.

Moira’s first husband, John, who she cheated on with Cain, tragically died in a car accident.

The character is mum to her three sons Adam Barton, Matty Barton and Isaac Dingle. Adam’s father was revealed to be his uncle James, who Moira had an affair with.

Tragedy struck in 2016 when Moira discovered her daughter Holly dead in bed, after a long addiction to heroin.

Moira also has a dark secret – she’s a killer!

She pushed her psychotic sister-in-law Emma Barton off the Hotten Viaduct to her death, and Adam took the rap for her.

Adam went to prison, but ended up breaking out and is still on the run.

Natalie is a former popstar

Prior to finding fame as a soap star, Natalie had a stab at a singing career. In the 90s she was a member of a band called The Kinky People.

Despite their memorable name, the group failed to have any chart success and eventually split.

In 1997, Natalie released a single called Keep Your Love with dance group Partizan.

She also lent her vocals to trance track I Will Be There, with artist Absolutely.

What else has Natalie J Robb been in?

Quite a bit as it turns out!

The actress made her screen debut at the tender age of nine, starring in an STV drama alongside esteemed actor Tom Conti.

At 13, Natalie was awarded the BBC Young Entertainer of the Year award on popular children’s TV show, Going Live!

Then Soapland came calling.

As well as her roles in Take the High Road, Doctors and The Bill, Natalie also had a brief stint in EastEnders as Max Branning’s mistress, Gemma Clewes.

She dated her Emmerdale co-star

Natalie previously enjoyed a romance with her co-star Jonny McPherson, who plays the Dales resident doctor, Liam Cavanagh. The couple met on the set of the Yorkshire-based soap and were smitten.

They even lived together for a while after Jonny moved into Natalie’s home during the first Covid lockdown of 2020.

Unfortunately Natalie and Jonny agreed to go their separate ways the following summer after deciding they were better off as friends rather than lovers.

Speaking for the first time about her split, Natalie told The Sun in 2023: “Unfortunately, it was Covid times, so there was this added pressure.

“He moved in with me during the first lockdown and it was just too intense, too soon. And if you’re not used to that, which I hadn’t been for a while, we realised pretty quickly that we were better off as friends.”

Natalie J Robb on having children

The actress also opened up about being questioned over not having children in The Sun interview, explaining people judge her for it.

She said: “I used to get judged for not having children. People would be like: ‘What? You don’t have any kids and you’re single? You must be crazy.’ But I just never had that feeling of: ‘Oh my god, I’ve got to have a baby.’ It has to be the right situation – I didn’t want to go and do something like that on my own.”

Natalie is not related to Lawrence Robb

Eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted Natalie shares the same surname as her co-star Lawrence Robb.

The actors are on-screen siblings as Lawrence plays Moira’s younger brother, Mackenzie Boyd.

But despite having the same last name and both being Scottish, the duo are not related.

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.

Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.30pm and 2.05pm.