MATTHEW WOLFENDEN BREAKS SILENCE On EMMERDALE RACE ROW Revealing The SHOCKING TRUTH Behind His SUSPENSION And The NERVOUS BREAKDOWN That Followed

Former Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden has finally opened up about the on-set ‘race row’ that led to him being suspended from the soap.

In 2021, it was reported that Matthew and co-star Isabel Hodgins had been suspended from the show for three months.

While not much was known about the details, both stars vanished from our screens while ITV launched an official investigation. But both were cleared and returned to Emmerdale. Now, Matthew has revealed what actually happened – and how it led to him having a “nervous breakdown”.
Matthew opened up on his Emmerdale suspension (Credit: Lewis Nicholls Show)

Emmerdale Matthew Wolfenden reveals ‘truth’ on race row

Speaking on The Lewis Nicholls Show yesterday (May 20) Matthew was directly asked about the alleged race row. And he decided now was the time to tell his side of the story.

The 45-year-old admitted he had “never” spoken about what happened, but that he and Isobel were “falsely accused”.

He said: “We were falsely accused of doing an accent on set. Whenever the word race is used, they have to take it seriously. A young cast member mistakenly thought he heard us doing a Chinese accent. So he went to see the producer and said ‘I’m not very happy about this, I just heard them mimicking a Chinese accent’.

“Because of this, we did have to get suspended. As soon as that issue is brought up, they have to go down the correct route to investigate what happened.”

He said: “Me and Izzy were working together lots at the time because our characters were in a relationship. We both loved watching comedies and we were sat one day talking about the comedies we love and mimicking scenes.”

Matthew explained that he and Isabel were actually acting out a particular scene from their favourite comedy show – the orange juice scene from The League of Gentlemen – which he mimicked during the interview to show what he had done on set.

After acting out the scene, Matthew admitted that the actor who overheard thought it was a Chinese accent and “he wasn’t happy”. And because he complained, it “led to a suspension”.
Matthew left Emmerdale last year (Credit: ITV)

The negativity led to Matthew having a ‘nervous breakdown’

Matthew went on to reveal that while he “wanted” to tell his side of the story, he was encouraged to “stay quiet”. Eventually, the negativity surrounding the whole thing actually led to him spending a month in The Priory.

He emotionally admitted: “It was very hard. I got very poorly over that period and ended up having a nervous breakdown. I have never told this story before but I ended up in The Priory for a month.

“It was because these lies were being told about me and I couldn’t deal with it. My kids were reading it, their friends and their parents. I didn’t have a voice against the tabloids. I thought i was going to lose my job over something I hadn’t done.”

During Matthew’s suspended from the show, he admitted that “everyone” at Emmerdale reached out to check on him because they all “knew” what had happened.

While he thought things were finally calming down, that’s when “someone leaked it to the press” – he still doesn’t know who. But he admitted that’s when things got “sticky and messy” because it was suddenly everywhere.

While both Matthew and Isabel returned to the soap after three months, he made the decision to leave his role in April 2024. Isabel remains in the show as Victoria Sugden.