Emmerdale cast member Danny Miller has announced that tickets for his annual charity ball have gone on sale.

Danny, best known for playing bad boy Aaron Dingle, has always been outspoken about his love for helping others. And it was this passion that drove him to create his own organisation help.

Currently Aaron is involved in the huge storyline of Anthony’s murder. He has spent the last week thinking he was the one who killed him. But Thursday night’s episode (January 30) shared the shocking revelation that it was actually Ruby – much to fans’ delight.

However, away from the Dales, way back in 2011, Danny co-founded the Manchester based children’s bereavement charity, Once Upon A Smile, alongside friend and actor, Daniel Jillings.

But what exactly is the charity? And what has Danny said about it? Well here’s a look inside the Emmerdale cast member’s passion for charity work.
Danny began the charity in 2011 (Credit: ITV)

What is Once Upon A Smile?

The charity provides emotional and practical support to bereaved families. And it was formed after it became apparent that there was a lack of support for families who have lost a loved one.

The inspiration came after Danny lost a close friend and Emmerdale producer, Gavin Blyth. Danny has opened up, revealing that Gavin was the one who “took Aaron down the path of struggling with his sexuality.”

For Danny, he felt like he owed Gavin a lot as he was the one who gave him his “big break” in the industry.

He spoke to What to Watch about the impact it had, saying: “I started the charity because a friend of mine passed away. He left behind a lovely young family. I wanted to know what I could do for more families like the Blyths.”
Daniel Jillings and Danny Miller at their Charity ball (Credit: MCPIX/Shutterstock)

Danny Miller speaks out on charity work

The former I’m A Celebrity winner revealed that he was “in a hole of grief and disbelief” at Gavin’s funeral. But nothing that he felt compared to how Gavin’s family were feeling.

He said: “I wanted to create something that would counter that. Something that would help families become united again. For them to support each other emotionally and practically after bereavement.”

Danny and Daniel made the decision to do the charity together in a  “blood brothers” agreement. And for the Emmerdale star, he “feels pride” when he thinks of all that the charity has achieved.
Emmerdale star Danny Miller continues to raise money (Credit: ITV)

The annual ball

One thing they knew that would be difficult is raising awareness and money for the charity. So, they created an annual ball. Which seems to have taken off.

Every year, the charity hosts a ball for those who want to help raise money. Earlier in the week Danny, who is now a dad of two, announced the tickets for 2025’s ball have gone on sale.

Anyone can buy a ticket. And every year it’s a sold out event with appearances from faces from TV and music. The night is full of musical acts, a three-course meal and even a red carpet experience.

Other members of the Emmerdale cast have shown up in support for Danny’s charity every year. And this year is expected to be no different.

In last year’s event, The Emmerdale Band even featured as a musical guest for the evening. This included performances from Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk), Katie Hill (Sarah Sugden) and Olivia Bromley (Dawn Fletcher). Not just that, but over 20 cast members showed up to support.

Danny spoke to Yahoo about the Emmerdale support last year. He said: “We have a really big presence of Emmerdale at the ball this year. There are over 20 cast members coming. I’m very excited for that. They’ll be a great part of the night.”

Other Danny Miller charity events

The annual ball isn’t the only event that Danny has done in honour of Once Upon A Smile. In 2020, Danny raised £30,000 by walking a 40-mile journey from Manchester to Anfield.

At the time, his target was £20K, so he achieved more than £10K over this. He took to X at the time to share his gratitude.

Danny wrote: “Swollen eyes is my biggest injury. Just cried and cried last night at so many of your beautiful support messages, donations and generosity.”