Emmerdale star Jeff tearful after London Marathon

Emmerdale star Jeff tearful after London Marathon
Emmerdale star Jeff tearful after London Marathon

Emmerdale star Jeff Hordley has confessed he broke down in tears as he crossed the finishing line at the London Marathon. The 42-year-old actor - who has played bad boy Cain Dingle for 12 years - ran the 26.2 miles through the capital on Sunday with other Emmerdale actors to help raise money for leukaemia and lymphoma research, and was delighted to finish in three hours and 31 minutes. Jeff said: "It's a personal best 3.31 so I'm very pleased. I got very emotional, crying over the line, which is not like me. But it's all for leukaemia and lymphoma research, that's why we do it." He added: "There's a lot of runners at Emmerdale and they recommended it many, many moons ago. "But I have a very personal connection with leukaemia as well: my friend's child last year, seven years old, contracted the disease, but he fortunately got through it, but it was through the money that was raised that he got through it." Jeff said of his run: "It was amazing. The weather was fantastic, the conditions were perfect, the crowds here were just incredible - seeing people carrying their loved ones on their back it was emotional. It is special - it's the Olympics - it's a great year." This was the Emmerdale star's fifth London Marathon. He joked: "Maybe I'll try and get up to 10." Coronation Street's Paula Lane also ran the marathon in four hours 42 minutes after preparing with a breakfast of porridge. She was joined by former Coronation Street stars Nikki Sanderson, Bruno Langley and Conor Ryan. Hollyoaks stars James Atherton and Tom Scurr ran in aid of homeless charity Centrepoint, both crossing the line at exactly four hours eight minutes and 36 seconds. Tom tweeted: "Bang on. We started together and finished together. Like a bl***y fairytale."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.