Emmerdale’s Gabby Thomas has taken centre stage with a heartbreaking health update – here’s what we know about the actress
As Emmerdale’s sick Gabby Thomas is warned “she will die” amid a tragic health update, we take a look at Rosie Bentham’s life away from the ITV soap.
Gabby Thomas was born on Christmas Day in 2001 to parents Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) and Ashley Thomas (John Middleton), with actress Rosie Bentham taking over the role in 2016. In recent years, Gabby hasn’t had an easy ride in the Dales with her ex- husband Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) secretly struggling with his sexuality.
Vinny moved on with his now ex-boyfriend, Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches), while Gabby tried to pursue a romance with Ross Barton (Michael Parr) before a brief relationship with Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle). Gabby has also been caught up in the death of Jimmy King (Nick Miles) after he crashed his car.
It was revealed that she was talking to a distracted Vinny on the phone while he was driving his car, and he swerved his vehicle to miss Jimmy’s car, sending him into a marquee where he died moments later.
What is wrong with Gabby in Emmerdale?
Emmerdale fans have also seen Gabby battle an eating disorder, orthorexia, as she becomes obsessed with eating only what she deems to be ‘pure’ foods. This has also caused Gabby to reject antibiotics for a chest infection, which has left her hospitalised.
On Wednesday, October 7, Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) found her stepdaughter, Gabby, seriously unwell before she collapsed only moments later.
Gabby was left with no choice but to receive hospital treatment as she battled pneumonia, and Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) offered her a stern warning about her health.
In a worrying scene, Gabby questioned the doctor about what ingredients were in her medication before frantically trying to remove her intravenous cannula from her hand, and claimed she was being poisoned.
“Gabby, listen, you’re not healthy. You’re lying in a hospital bed, very unhealthy because your overwhelming irrational fears have stopped you from eating,” Manpreet warned.
She added, “Forget the food for a minute, without these fluids, and proper medical intervention, you’ll die from malnutrition or pneumonia, whichever gets you first”. Gabby continued to cry as Laurel looked on, heartbroken. Will she accept help before it’s too late?
Who is Rosie Bentham’s boyfriend?
Away from the soap, actress Rosie has remained rather tight-lipped about her real-life romances. But she has shared some details – including her current boyfriend.
Back in January 2023, Rosie shared her biggest “red flags”, revealing she can instantly tell whether a potential suitor is more interested in her or her character.
Speaking to The Mirror, Rosie said that when chatting to fans, she can tell whether they’re interested in her romantically or not by how they ask about her character.
Rosie explained: “The biggest red flag is when someone says to me, ‘So, tell me what’s going to happen next’. It’s obvious at that point they’re not interested in me, they’re just trying to get spoilers out of me.
“It’s nice if someone says, ‘Oh, my gran watches it’ – but I don’t think many 21-year-old boys are genuinely interested in watching soaps.”
Fast forward to September 2025, and Rosie revealed she has a boyfriend whom she kept “secret” for three years and declared how “happy” she is.
Speaking to The Sun, Rosie shared: “We were introduced by a mutual friend and he knew what I did for a job but hadn’t seen the programme! His mum and grandparents watch Emmerdale, though.
“I am happy, and I am glad my life is a lot more peaceful than Gabby’s! We’ve been together for nearly three years. He is a quantity surveyor and lives in Yorkshire. We are both really into our health and fitness.”
Rosie then admitted that her boyfriend prefers to stay out of the limelight and does not wish to be named. She continued: “He has never been one for all of that (fame). He likes to stay anonymous, and I respect that. But he came with me to the Soap Awards, and he loved it.
“I like going to events with him as it’s fun for an outsider to have a glimpse of the TV world we work in, but at home and when we are together, we don’t really speak about Emmerdale that much. But he does find it funny when people come up and call me Gabby!”
Rosie’s real-life heartbreak
Rosie Bentham, 25, suffered the heartbreaking death of her father just one week before her 18th birthday.
Her father, John, died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism, or blood clot, reports Mirror Online. He was a healthy 60-year-old who had not been ill and had no symptoms suggesting anything was wrong.
“It was such a huge shock,” says Rosie. “I was on a weekend away, and when I got told, I just couldn’t believe it because he hadn’t been ill beforehand.
“I got angry because I couldn’t understand why and how it had happened. I can remember saying ‘No, no, no’.”
“Dad loved being a dad more than anything else. It was such a big thing for him. It’s why I always tell my friends to reach out to their dads because you never ever know.”
Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
