'Emmerdale' star Danny Miller QUITS soap ahead of 'I'm A Celebrity' appearance

Danny Miller in his I'm A Celebrity kit
Danny Miller is one of the 10 'I'm A Celebrity' contestants heading into the castle. (Image credit: ITV)

I'm A Celebrity 2021 kicks off this weekend, and Emmerdale star Danny Miller is among the famous faces taking part in the highly anticipated reality series, but it has been announced that his break from Emmerdale will actually be long-term. 

Danny is best known for his role as Aaron Dingle, who he has played since 2008, but it has been confirmed he's not just taking a break from the soap to appear in I'm A Celebrity, but he's officially leaving the soap after 13 years.

It's thought Danny will use his departure from Emmerdale to pursue other projects and spend time with family after he and partner Steph welcomed their son, Albert, into the world on the 25th of October. 

Emmerdale

Danny has played 'Emmerdale' favourite Aaron Dingle since 2008.  (Image credit: ITV)

A spokesperson for the ITV soap said: "Danny has achieved so much during his time at Emmerdale playing the role of Aaron. He has had to tackle some of the hardest-hitting storylines and has made a lasting impact on the show.

"Aaron is a character our viewers took into their hearts and have followed his rollercoaster journey for years. Danny will be hugely missed and we wish him all the best going forwards."

It has not been confirmed whether or not Danny may appear for one-off episodes, or come back further down the line, so far we just know that he's left the show for the time being.

Posting to Instagram, the actor also explained why he made the decision to take part in I'm A Celebrity this year.  Sharing a video, he explained: "Steph basically sat me down and said 'look, we've always wanted to be a mum and dad, we're getting married next year. You've been given the opportunity to do this, there'll be so many people out there celebrity or famous, who would love to do that show.'"

He added: "This is like 3 weeks of my life, a point where Albert isn't going to remember me being there or not."

Danny went on to praise his partner for being an amazing mum and said that appearing on I'm A Celebrity would give him the opportunity to support and provide for them, so this season feels like the right time to join the show.

He'll be joined by Richard Madeley, Arlene Phillips, Frankie Bridge, Louise Minchin, David Ginola, Matty Lee, Snoochie Shy, Naughty Boy, and Kadeena Cox for the new series which kicks off on Sunday evening. 

I’m A Celebrity 2021 starts on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 9pm on ITV.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays - see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITV Hub now. 

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress