MORE THAN A SOAP STAR
Bradley Riches’ SUCCESS Outside Emmerdale Is ASTONISHING But What He Overcame As A CHILD Might Be His TRUEST VICTORY Yet

Emmerdale has a new addition, and actor Bradley Riches may be quite familiar to a lot of people.

The 23-year-old actor has already had such an impressive career for such a young age. But now, the Netflix star has joined the ITV soap as a long-lost Barton brother.

Lewis Barton is the son of Emma Barton, who was adopted when he was little. He finally made the decision to reach out to his family, and came face-to-face with his brother, Ross. 

But who is Bradley Riches away from Emmerdale? From being non-verbal until the age of 10 to landing a huge Netflix gig, lets have a look.
Bradley is a huge advocate for autism (Credit: ITV)

Non-verbal until age 10

Bradley Riches was born on December 11 2001. But his early years were marked by severe communication struggles, causing him to be non-verbal until 10-years-old.

At the age of nine, Bradley was diagnosed with autism. He faced quite a lot of struggles over the years due to this diagnosis. But when he joined an after-school drama club, he began opening up more.

Talking about how he overcame his verbal challenges, Bradley explained: “I would use sounds or movements to communicate. I became really reserved.

“I started to find these people who were very similar to me. And I started to use my voice as a form of communication. It allowed me to accept myself a lot more. Acting was an escapism. I was playing these characters who were far away from me, and it made me find me.”

Autism advocate

Following his own diagnosis, Bradley has become a huge advocate for autism awareness.

In 2024, Bradley became an ambassador for Autistica, the UK’s leading autism research and campaigning charity.

Speaking about how autism can be used as a strength, Bradley said to the charity that his “creativity and imagination” stems from his autism.

He said: “I like to think my creativity and imagination come with being autistic. As well as my care for others. I feel like my challenges, especially in the creative industry, have a lot to do with a different routine and schedules. I have my coping mechanisms and my own support system which really help.”
He starred in the hit Netflix show Heartstopper (Credit: Netflix)

Netflix star

If you’re wondering where you may have seen Bradley Riches before Emmerdale, then it was probably the huge hit show Heartstopper.

Bradley played the role of James McEwan on the show. In season one, he was merely a guest star. But with the evident love for his character, he was promoted to a recurring role for season two and season three.

The Netflix show was confirmed to be ending just last month. However, while there won’t be a season four, there will be a movie to wrap the show up.

As of right now, not many details are known, but the cast are expected to return. But with his new Emmerdale role, it’s not known if Bradley will be back on Heartstopper fans’ screens.
Bradley also took part on Celebrity Big Brother last year (Credit: ITV)

Celebrity Big Brother stint

For those who didn’t watch Heartstopper, Bradley also appeared on the 2024 season of Celebrity Big Brother.

He admitted that he wanted to use the show as a platform to increase positive representation for neurodiverse communities, which is exactly what he did.

Bradley very quickly became a huge fan favourite on the show. But despite being one of the favourites to be in the final, he just missed out. Bradley left in a shock back-door eviction, finishing in sixth place.
Bradley had an emotional link to Emmerdale (Credit: ITV)

‘Emotional’ connection to Emmerdale

Bradley’s grandad sadly passed away while he was in the Big Brother house. When he left the house, he posted an emotional tribute to him on Instagram.

Last Friday (May 16) Bradley Riches appeared on ITV’s Lorraine to chat about his new Emmerdale role.

Host Christine Lampard brought up how Bradley’s late grandad loved watching Emmerdale, and the star became emotional.

Bradley explained: “I don’t want to get emotional. I feel like it was one of those things, he passed away when I was in Big Brother. It was a whole year of me feeling like I didn’t get a full goodbye. So when this came up, I was like ‘Maybe this is him saying you’re doing great’.”