Sophie Powles: The Holly Barton actress’ life on the camera, to an off-screen romance with famous producer

Sophie Powles is best known for playing Holly Barton in Emmerdale from 2009 to her on-screen death in 2016.

Despite her short on-and-off appearances, Sophie was embroiled in some very hard-hitting storylines during her time on Emmerdale.

These ranged from heroin addiction to a huge car crash which ended up killing off her on-screen father, John Barton.

But who is the woman behind the character? And what has Sophie Powles been up to since she left Emmerdale?

Sophie Powles in Emmerdale

Holly Barton was the daughter of John Barton and Moira Dingle, the sister of Matty Barton, and the half-sister of Adam Barton and Isaac Dingle.

In July 2009, Holly and her family became the new tenants of Butlers Farm as they arrived in the Dales. She got a job at Home Farm, where she met Maisie Wylde. The pair grew close, and Maisie gave Holly drugs while on a night out.

Her dabble in the substance world led to a long storyline of drug abuse, which she got from Roz Fielding.

After a scary overdose, Holly fell into addiction. When Holly refused to stop doing drugs, John disowned her. Holly disappeared and was homeless for sometime, before she reunited with her parents.

Both John and Moira were having affairs, which rocked her world. Later, however, a car crash left her father dead. Blaming herself, Holly then she left for London.

In 2016, she returned to the Dales and fell into another bad episode of heroin addiction. After an uphill battle, Moira found Holly dead in her room after a heroin overdose.

The star had only been back on Emmerdale for six months, but quit suddenly. The death remains one of the most shocking and tragic Emmerdale has ever screened given no press was done before it.

Who is Sophie Powles?

Sophie is a British television actress who has starred over a variety of shows on the silver screen.

She is originally from a seaside town in North East Lincolnshire Cleethorpes. She is most known for her role as Holly Barton, but has branched out of soaps into other areas.

How old is Sophie Powles?

Sophie is currently 36 years old (born September 16 1988). She started acting in 2008, when she was just 15.

What else Sophie Powles been in?

Sophie has appeared in a host of other shows. Firstly, she had a role in the unsuccessful ITV drama series Britannia High.

She played Ronnie, and was the only one of the main cast who was not a student at the fictional school of performing arts. The character was created especially for Powles, as all the main cast were already in place.

Just one year later it was announced she’d be starring in Emmerdale as Holly Barton.

She has also guest-starred in dramas such as Holby City and Dalziel and Pascoe.

Post-Emmerdale and most recently, Sophie is currently working on a comedy film called Sober, which is expected to be released in March 2025. It is being written by Matthew Cooper, Tom Gibbons and Dean Smith, who worked across titles such as Hollyoaks and EastEnders.

She is expected to play Daisy and the film centres around a man who goes for a swift pint with his mates the day his first child is born.

The star now frequently models and works on behind-the-scenes projects including producing and directing. She also had a small role in ITV drama series The Long Shadow.

Sophie Powles’ relationship and children

Having been off screens for around eight years, Sophie has been enjoying a quiet life with her friends and family.

She is in a relationship with Mark Waters, who is best known for his roles behind the camera. He is a director and producer, known for Mean Girls (2004), 500 Days of Summer (2009) and He’s All That (2021).

Sophie has also been working behind the camera on project with her partner.

While it is not known how long the pair have been together, they often shared pictures of beach holidays on social media.

Earlier this year, she announced the birth of her second child. Her first child was a daughter called Marli Ocean. She gave birth to her second daughter just before Christmas in 2023. They have not released her name to the public.

Sophie is also a keen poet and sells her poetry in the form of art prints online.

Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.

Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.

Visit our Facebook page @emmerdaleinsider for all the latest Emmerdale news, gossip and spoilers and let us know what you think! Or find us on Twitter @emmerdaleinside