Emmerdale actors Sebastian and Gabrielle Dowling's lives away from Cathy and Heath role

Emmerdale child actors Sebastian and Gabrielle Dowling, who became part of the popular soap in 2007 just four weeks after their birth, playing Bob and Viv Hope's newborn twins, have seen their fair share of drama on set.

The task of eliciting tears from the young stars on demand posed a challenge to the production crew when the twins were still merely infants. Louise, their mother, revealed in an interview with The Examiner: "They sometimes want them to cry, which can be difficult because they don't really cry much unless they're hungry."

To achieve the desired effect for certain scenes, staff resorted to offering the young Dowlings a bottle, only to remove it when it was time to shoot. Louise assured that she had no issue with this approach, adding: "It's only for a few seconds while they film. I'm chilled out about it."

The twins portrayed Cathy and Heath Hope in tandem until a dramatic turn of events saw Sebastian exit the show early in 2024 following Heath's on-screen death.

The storyline escalated when Cathy, Heath and Angelica King took a joyride, leading to a catastrophic accident caused by Angel that claimed Heath's life.

The tragedy spurred an intense conflict between Cathy and her father Bob Hope, who harboured the belief that his daughter bore responsibility for his son's untimely passing for an extended period.

Sebastian and Gabrielle are the offspring of Louise Dowling, a veteran professional dancer who transitioned into acting. Although Louise secured several minor roles herself, her ambition has been for her children to surpass her own achievements in the entertainment industry.

Before Gabrielle and Sebastian were even born, Louise had already secured their roles as twins Cathy and Heath in Emmerdale.