Isabel Hodgins is used to the pressure of public speaking after starring on Emmerdale for 20 years – but her new husband Adam Whitehead admits the wedding-day nerves got to him
It wouldn’t be a wedding without the odd hiccup – and that was certainly the case at the stunning wedding of Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins and PE teacher Adam Whitehead. The couple, who got engaged in November 2023, said their “I Do’s” at Manchester’s cool Castlefield Rooms last month in front of 63 of their friends and family, including many of Isabel’s co-stars.
At 5ft 2in, Isabel opted for a classic dress to avoid “the dress wearing me, not me wearing the dress” and it made such an impact on groom Adam that he made something of a faux pas during their vow exchange. “I forgot my name during the vows,” he told OK! in an exclusive catch up after the ceremony.
READ MORE: Inside Emmerdale’s Isabel Hodgins’ wedding with co-star guests and baby bombshell
“That was the worst part, the vows,” he continued. “I was so nervous. I’m not a big fan of public speaking. I’m a teacher and do it front of kids, but when it’s in front of people your age, it’s different. I was sweating.”
Isabel, who says she’d “never seen him like that before”, is understandably pro when it comes to public speaking under pressure, after playing Victoria Sugden on Emmerdale for a year shy of two decades. That said, being a bride is very different from playing a part, she reveals.
“I know I’m an actor but I don’t like being the centre of attention. A wedding’s quite stressful, so even before it I was over it,” she laughs. “Then the day came and I was like, ‘we’ll just go with the flow’. It was perfect. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it, how full my heart was. It was just brilliant.”
The actress also delivered one of the wedding speeches, much to the respect of her new husband. “I was proud she wanted to do her own speech,” he says. “Power to the women.”
Their big day was a star-studded affair, with Emmerdale co-star Eden Taylor Draper as one of her three bridesmaids, and Danny Miller, Mark Jordon, Laura Norton, Jeff Hordley and Zoë Henry there to enjoy the celebration.
“I’ve known them for so long, Laura’s like a sister to me. Eden was my bridesmaid,” Isabel says. “They’re just all such special, beautiful people. I said in my speech that me and Adam hadn’t been going out for very long and I was telling Zoë about him and she was like, ‘I’ve got a feeling you’re going to marry this man.’ She just knew.”
The couple, who both huge fans of the gym, enjoyed a two-night minimoon to Saltmoore wellness retreat, near Whitby, courtesy of Isabel’s castmates – and there’s a longer trip planned to California this summer.
After that, Isabel says, they might start thinking about some next big steps – becoming parents.
“If that happens, amazing. If it doesn’t, I’ll say ‘that’s fine too’, but I won’t really mean it,” laughs Isabel. “My sister had two toddlers during lockdown. I moved in with them. I just loved it. I think I’m ready to have that myself now.”
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Source: Mirror
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