Oliver Farnworth is about to take centre stage in a huge new storyline in Emmerdale, which will see fans finally discover the truth about his character John Sugden.
The actor has been part of soapland for a while now so, ahead of some dramatic episodes tonight and tomorrow, we thought it was high time to delve into Oliver’s life in the industry.
Here’s everything you need to know about the star, including his relationship with an EastEnders legend.
Who is Oliver Farnworth?
Oliver, who is 42, is an actor originally from Yorkshire. When he was 15, he moved to Sidmouth in Devon and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
The young star secured his big break in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, playing Will Hackett from 2006-2007.
Who did Oliver play in Coronation Street?
Oliver played Andy Carver, who appeared in the ITV soap from 2014-2017. He was initially introduced as a waiter who worked at the Bistro.
The character was also a friend of Michael Rodwell’s (Les Dennis) estranged son Gavin. When the two had a falling out, Andy decided to pose as his friend in a bid to fool Michael.
He was shocked to learn that Michael was suffering a heart condition which was hereditary and attempted to reach out to the real Gavin to inform him, but was unable to.
After realising that the victim of his cruel prank was actually a good man, hopeful of a reconciliation with his son, Andy was riddled with guilt and confessed to his Bistro colleague Steph Britton (Tisha Merry) about his deceit.
![Television Programme: Coronation Street with Tisha Merry as Steph Britton, Oliver Farnworth as Andy Carver and Ben Price as Nick Tilsley?s - Ep 8654 Friday 5 June 2015 - 1st Ep Steph Britton [TISHA MERRY] and Andy Carver [OLIVER FARNWORTH] dread Nick Tilsley?s [BEN PRICE] next move, fearing he will sack them or report them for fraud. Steph and Andy promise Nick they only kept up the fraud to protect Michael. As they beg for their jobs what will Nick decide? Picture contact: david.crook@itv.com on 0161 952 6214 This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Plc Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itvpictures.com](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/AD_169878275-2165.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The real Gavin then began to blackmail him, but just days later he died in a car accident. When his mum Susan sent a photo album of pictures through to Michael, Andy awkwardly sat beside him as it became clear he wasn’t the same person.
Despite the revelation, nobody ever reported him for identity theft and he continued to work at the restaurant and moved into the builder’s yard flat with Steph.
After finding himself involved with the corrupt and murderous Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre), Andy was seemingly killed by him.
However, months later, a huge soap twist was delivered that saw us learn Phelan had been holding Andy hostage in a house.
It looked as though Andy was going to escape Phelan’s clutches at one point, but because he knew the truth about the man, he was shot dead, along with Vinny Ashford.
Who is Oliver in a relationship with?
Not much is known about Oliver’s personal life, but we do know he is in a relationship with EastEnders star Samantha Womack, who played Ronnie Mitchell.
The two stars met in 2019, when they featured in the stage adaptation of The Girl On The Train.
Oliver was a huge pillar of support for Samantha after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Last year, he appeared on ITV’s Lorraine to talk about his partner.
‘She’s doing incredibly well’ he said, adding: ‘I’m in awe of her.’
He continued: ‘She’s been so kind of strong and determined through it. And we were very lucky because they detected quite a high grade of cancer and were able to deal with that quite quickly but she then went through the chemo and the radiotherapy.’
Oliver also used the opportunity to stress the importance of breast check-ups, as well as looking for abnormalities.
Who is John Sugden?
John is Victoria Sugden’s (Isabel Hodgins) half-brother and is also in a relationship with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller).
Over the past few months, John has established himself as a hard-working and helpful member of the community.He has a job at the surgery, and was hailed as heroic when he assisted in saving people during the barn fire last year.
Yesterday though, we saw a side to John we’ve not seen before. After making a mistake at work, John took his anger out by smashing a car to pieces. It was a worrying sign, that also marked the start of us learning who the character really is.
‘Since enigmatic and inscrutable John Sugden arrived on our screens last summer, he’s managed to hide some pretty big secrets from his family and friends,’ producer Laura Shaw revealed.‘As his clandestine acts are revealed, the audience has an opportunity to really get inside John’s mind and to finally understand exactly what this mysterious character is really about.’
