Emmerdale Michael Parr made his shock comeback to the famous village tonight (October 28) as Ross Barton
Michael Parr first joined the soap in 2013, playing Ross – and he quickly became a hit with fans. In 2018 though, Michael said his goodbyes. However, this week Ross was back on screens after five years away.
But which Emmerdale co-star did Michael date? What was his ‘normal’ job before TV fame? And what was the real reason he left the ITV soap in the first place? Keep on reading to find out…
Who is Michael Parr
Michael Parr is best known for playing Ross Barton on Emmerdale. As well as his Emmerdale stint, Michael has starred in the likes of Hollyoaks and Casualty.
Michael was born in Saint Helens in Merseyside – but he has a dual nationality as his mum’s side of the family hails from the USA. Back in 2015 he appeared on Lorraine and spoke talk about his family history. He shared: “My grandad fought in Vietnam and came to the UK where he met my nan.
“They moved back to America and because he was in the airforce they moved around a lot and my mum was born in Oregon. I still have an uncle living in New York who I try to visit every summer.”
Michael Parrr on Emmerdale
Michael became a firm favourite with Emmerdale viewers over the years as Ross, after joining in 2013.
Ross is the son of James and Emma Barton. He is the brother of Pete and Finn, and half-brother of Adam Barton. Ross is father to Moses Dingle, who he shares with Charity Dingle.
He also played a part in several big storylines. From an affair with his brother’s fiancée, Debbie Dingle to taking part in a violent robbery at Home Farm, his time in the Dales was not short of drama.
Why did Michael Parr leave Emmerdale
Ross left the Dales in 2018 to start a new life with Rebecca White in Liverpool following a horrific acid attack. And it’s fair to say the actor’s exit left fans gutted.
Michael said on his X account at the time: “Yes I’ll be leaving the soap soon. Have had the best few years at Emmerdale but it’s time to move on and explore other avenues.”
In an interview with Digital Spy in 2018, Kate Brooks addressed Michael’s decision. She said: “Michael Parr will leave Emmerdale later this year at the end of his current contract. His decision to pursue other acting opportunities has given the writing team the opportunity to create an intriguing storyline for his exit.”
Michael Parr’s job before acting fame
Prior to becoming an actor, Michael worked as teaching assistant in a school for teenagers with learning difficulties.
Michael spoke about his past job in 2015. revealing he “learned a lot” from it. He told Digital Spy: “Playing Ross is a walk in the park compared to that job.
“Working with kids with special needs required a lot of patience. Every day is new to those guys, but I learned a lot from them.”
What is Michael Parr doing now
Following his Emmerdale exit, Michael went on to star in a 2020 episode of Bulletproof, as well as the 2021 movie Evan Wood. He also played Paul Hughes in the ITV drama The Long Shadow.
In 2018, he revealed his huge career change and plans to land acting roles stateside.
He told the St Helens Star: “My mum’s family are from Brooklyn and I have two passports, so I thought now is the right time to give it a go. I will be heading to LA but I’ll be spending time between there and New York.”
Michael also set the record straight about his exit and said: “The nature of the beast is that I don’t know what’s coming, but I’m excited to see what could happen.
“I would like to do more character acting like Gary Oldman who completely transforms into the people he is cast as.”
Michael Parr’s jaw-dropping transformation
In 2022, Michael revealed his incredible fitness transformation which he achieved after “quitting the gym”.
As seen in Express, the actor shared a before and after snap to Instagram and revealed he managed to achieve it after “quitting the gym” and now feels “stronger than ever”.
He said at one point in the caption: “I quit the gym and now have just been working out with dumbbells at home and I feel better and stronger than ever. Good diet. Fasting. Cold showers and just everything in moderation.”
Michael Parr returning to Emmerdale
In September, it was confirmed that Michael was heading back to Emmerdale to reprise his role as Ross. And this week, the soap hunk made his comeback to the ITV soap.
Ross’s return has tied in with Billy Fletcher’s new storyline about illegal fighting. During Monday’s episode (October 28), released early on ITVX, Ross was revealed as Billy’s opponent in a fight.
Michael Parr ‘secret’ romance with Isabel Hodgins
Michael found love on Emmerdale as he ended up dating his on-screen sister-in-law Isabel Hodgins, who plays Victoria Sugden.
The pair kept their relationship a secret but went Instagram official for the first time in 2015 on a romantic trip to Paris. However, as Hello reports, a year later, he was quizzed on his ‘secret’ girlfriend and if she would miss him, following his soap exit.
“Maybe. But I’m not saying who she is. It’s no one else’s business. Social media for relationships can be detrimental.
“We’re happy so we don’t need to show off. But if we were to break up it would only be worse when the papers get hold of it,” he told The Mirror.
However, later in the interview, Michael slipped up when answering another question. He was quizzed about his diet and he said: “I keep it controlled. But I had two Pop-Tarts for my breakfast. Izzy bought me some.” He then added: “Oops. I mean, my good friend Isabel.”
Michael and Isobel split
In 2019, Michael and Isabel split after three years of dating. A source at the time told The Sun: “They drifted apart and felt it was better to be mates.
“He has been throwing himself into his social life and has just been on a lads’ hol and she is focusing on work, they’re both young and want to follow their dreams.”
Michael is now in a relationship with Isabelle Du Plessis. The couple went public in a sweet Instagram post from July this year of the pair posing during a holiday to Santorini.
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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