ITV Emmerdale fans 'work out' true identity of Caleb Milligan's secret daughter - and she's already in the village

Emmerdale fans think they have rumbled the identity of Caleb Milligan's (played by Will Ash) secret daughter Stephanie - and she's already in the village.

Since Caleb's daughter was mentioned, fans have been left reeling about who she is and whether she will arrive in the village soon. But one hardcore viewer thinks she could be an unlikely villager.

In scenes that aired earlier this week, Caleb went to visit Ruby's (Beth Cordingly) sick mother Helen in the hospital and things quickly took a dark turn as he threatened her, demanding money in exchange for allowing her to see her daughter before she dies.

During their intense conversation, Ruby's estranged mum hinted at their daughter, suggesting there might be more to the story, especially since viewers know Caleb and Ruby have a son, Nicky Milligan (Lewis Cope), who has left the village.

"My daughter has a right to know that I am dying," Helen insisted, highlighting the importance of resolving family issues before it's too late.

Caleb didn't hide his bitterness as he confronted Helen: "I know you paid me to ditch her and I know when she got pregnant, you tried to force her to abort our child and I know you turfed her out with nothing and she wouldn't."

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Ruby's mother admitted the weight of her past decisions, confessing: "I have had to live with that my entire life," Caleb coldly replied: "And now you'll have to die with it."

The situation intensified when Helen asked, "Tell me, have you seen anything of Stephanie?" which enraged Caleb, who snapped back: "Don't you dare even say my kids' names, do you hear me?"

In a dramatic turn of events, Caleb delivered an ultimatum after the credits rolled, demanding a massive payout for Helen's chance to be reunited with Ruby, matter-of-factly saying: "When the money lands in my account, I will speak to Ruby," and then briskly left the hospital room.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, as the money landed in Caleb's account, Ruby went to the hospital to see her mum - but she was 20 minutes too late as Helen had already died.

Fans were quick to share their thoughts and theories about who Caleb's daughter could be, with one predicting it could be newcomer Ella Forster (Paula Lane), who is already in the village.

Taking to a Facebook fan page, one fan commented: "If the daughter was born before Nicky and put up for adoption might turn out to be Ella? Would be around the right age?"

Over on X, another theorised: "Ella as Stephanie, adopted? #Emmerdale."

Others have suggested there could be a Tate connection, with one stating on X: "Kids? Plural! Who is Steph?! Technically translates as 'More Tates'."

"So where is Steph? Here's a theory... she is now abroad and has met Joe Tate or Jamie on her travels....thus making her a part of the family already," another suggested.

Hints at a wider family plot were dropped by another eagle-eyed viewer who commented: "Feel like Ruby and Rose might be related... #emmerdale."

Catch Emmerdale every weekday at 7.30pm on ITV.