Matthew Wolfenden on life with Charley Webb after ‘very, very tough’ split which saw her move in with Sheridan Smith

THERE was a time when Matthew Wolfenden and Charley Webb looked like one of soapland’s most unshakeable couples. After falling in love on the set of Emmerdale, marrying in 2018 and welcoming three sons together, they appeared to have everything. So when Charley brutally ended their marriage after 15 years together and moved in with close friend Sheridan Smith, fans were left wondering what life behind closed doors really looked like. Now, in an interview with The Sun, Matthew, 46, has lifted the lid on where things really stand with his ex-wife – and reveals his secrets to co-parenting. Matthew Wolfenden has opened up about his relationship with his ex wife Charley Webb Credit: Getty The actor was heartbroken when Charley ended things and moved in with Sheridan Smith Credit: instagram When they first announced their split in 2023, things between the pair appeared far from cordial – with Matthew insisting it hadn’t been his decision. But a lot has changed since then – Matthew left his long running role in Emmerdale as David Metcalfe and overnight he and Charley, 38, had to learn to co-parent as well as juggling being a jobbing actor. Then earlier this year he landed a gig in Hollyoaks – playing sinister newcomer Jonah, which has meant a demanding filming schedule and a gruelling two hour commute from his home to the set. It could have been an unsettling time for their kids – Buster, 16, Bowie, 10, and Ace, 7, but he tells us how Charley has played a huge part in keeping things on track. Despite their split, Matthew says he and Charley have found a rhythm that works, with both parents stepping in whenever the other needs support. And things are so relaxed between them now that his new partner – Heather Scott-Martin, who he met a few months ago following his split from Charley – has also been helping out, alongside with his parents. He explained: “I’ve got some very, very patient parents. My mum and dad are so, so brilliant. “Obviously me and Charley, their mum, we usually do like a week on, week off with the kids. But Charley’s often around. “I’m often around and when I’m around I can help Charley out. When she’s around, she can help me out. “Charley helps out, my mum and dad help out, my partner Heather helps out. So yeah, I’ve got some very, very helpful people around me.” Thinks certainly won’t as plain sailing when they first broke up and blindsided Matthew has admitted he found the whole thing “really tough”. He previously said of the split: “It was Charley’s decision. Charley decided she wanted to separate. “It was hard, it was a hard time for me. I had the kids full time at that time because Charley was out on tour and then out of the blue I got this news that she wanted to separate. “It was a very very tough time. It was the fact that the kids were quite young and it wasn’t only a couple of years ago. That was a concern to me. We had to move onwards.” Since arriving at Hollyoaks, Matthew says filming has been relentless, but he now feels he has the support he needs. He explains: “As a new family, they absolutely blast you and you’re in everything. “Especially being involved with the Osbornes as well, we’ve just kind of been in everything for the last four months. “I’m sure it’ll calm down a little bit, but yeah, it’s been full on.” Charley has been busy with acting gigs herself and spends a lot of time either in London or with Sheridan. The pair recently returned from Australia, where Charley was supporting her as she filmed a new show. Charley, known for playing Debbie Dingle, opened up about her close relationship with the actress last month, saying: “We spend so much time together. We’re always together. “We can lay on the bed and not speak for an hour and I’m like, ‘Oh s***, I forgot you were there.’ Matthew and Charley were together for over 15 years after meeting on Emmerdale Credit: Instagram He has been dating Heather Scott Martin since 2023 Credit: Instagram “That’s the best, because we’re just scrolling on Instagram,” she said. “We actually met years ago, like years and years and years ago through the industry. “And then we met a few years ago again. And then we’ve literally just been inseparable ever since.” Meanwhile, with two actors as parents, it perhaps isn’t surprising that all three of her and Matthew’s boys already have one eye on the entertainment industry. He has now landed a new role in Hollyoaks – but admits his character is not as nice as he seems Credit: Lime Pictures He has never been asked back to play David in Emmerdale Credit: Rex “My middle boy wants to do musicals,” Matthew laughs. “He’s 10, Bowie. My oldest boy, Buster, is just going to college to do music performance. He wants to sing. Always has done since the moment he could talk. And then the little one, six-year-old Ace, it’s definitely in his genes. “He definitely wants to follow in his middle brother’s footsteps and do more theatre. He loves going to watch musicals. He loves watching his brothers do their stuff. So I don’t think it’ll be long until he’s at stage school.” But after more than two decades in the industry, he knows exactly how brutal the business can be. They now co-parent three boys – spending one week off and week on Credit: miss_charleywebb/Instagram “It’s a bit like, ‘Oh God, not another one,'” he jokes. “I’ve been very, very lucky. I had a nice five years down in the West End, Emmerdale came along and I was there for 18 years. Then I was only out of Emmerdale for about two and a half years before Hollyoaks came along. “So I’ve been so, so lucky. But I know how difficult it can be.” Rather than shielding his children from that reality, he’s preparing them for it now. His son Bowie has already started auditioning – and already experienced rejection. Matthew believes learning to cope with disappointment is just as important as learning lines. “My little boy Bowie has had a few auditions for things and he’s got knocked back,” he says. “You’ve just got to have a tough head on your shoulders. You’ve just not got to take it personally. “I try to instill that in them now because you’re going to get knocked back 98 per cent of the time. It is what it is. That’s the business.” The honesty comes from someone who has seen almost every side of the profession. After leaving Emmerdale in 2023, Matthew had deliberately stepped away from soaps to throw himself back into theatre. Although fans regularly speculate about David Metcalfe returning to the Yorkshire village, Matthew says he hasn’t been asked back. He explains: “When I left, John Whiston told me the door would always be open. They didn’t kill David off. So never say never. But honestly, I’m so happy at Hollyoaks. I’m just having a ball.” Instead, he returned to the stage, starring in productions including Elf the Musical, and admits he initially questioned whether another long-running television role was the right move. He explained: “My only reservation was I’d left one TV programme to do more theatre. I wanted to keep that momentum going. That was my one thing. Do I want to go back? Or do I just keep that ball rolling with theatre?” But as soon as he was on set he knew he had made the right decision. “I didn’t know how much I’d missed being in front of a camera,” he admits. “I loved theatre and there’s nothing quite like standing in front of 2,000 people every night. But stepping back in front of a camera again… there’s just something different about it. While Matthew may be enjoying himself, viewers shouldn’t get too attached to his charming new character. Since arriving in Chester, Jonah Keane has quickly established himself as one of the village’s friendliest men. But we can reveal that’s all about to change. He says: “Jonah came in as this loving family man, which he still is. Everybody just loved Jonah. The lads in the village like him because he’s one of the boys. The women like him because he’s such a good husband and looks after Beth. He’s almost too good to be true. And we start to see that unravel.” The cracks begin with Jonah’s treatment of his son, but Matthew says that’s only scratching the surface. Without giving too much away, he hints viewers are about to discover secrets stretching back years – and they are darker than anyone expects. He says, “We’re going full-on villain territory.” “It only gets worse. Some of the deep, dark secrets we find out about Jonah over the next six months are going to be quite intense.” Rather than playing Jonah as a straightforward soap villain, Matthew has immersed himself in true crime podcasts and documentaries to understand the psychology behind his behaviour. In particular, he’s been researching cases involving induced illness, previously known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. He explained: “It’s really interesting. There’s this grey area because, in Jonah’s mind, he’s doing it out of love. He’s doing it because he wants to care. But obviously he’s doing it completely the wrong way. That’s what fascinates me.” Matthew hopes viewers will find themselves feeling conflicted. He says: “I want people to see that grey area. He’s doing it out of love, but it’s completely wrong. We’ll see whether people can separate the two.” That moral question, he admits, is what attracted him to the role in the first place. Asked just how far Jonah is capable of going, he smiles. The actor teased: “From what we’re going to find out about his past…I think quite dangerous. Let’s put it that way.”