ITV Emmerdale Moira Dingle star's secret EastEnders role leaves fans gobsmacked

Emmerdale fans were left floored when they recognised that the village's adored Moira Barton, played by Natalie J. Robb, once appeared on a competing soap.

Since becoming Moira Barton in 2009, 49 year old Natalie J. Robb has not only won over Emmerdale fans but also clinched numerous accolades for her portrayal.

Moira's riveting journey has included ample highs and lowsfrom marrying into the iconic Dingle family to coping with the heartbreak of her daughter's drug overdose, not to mention a string of passionate love affairs.

Recently, the character faced one of her biggest challenges yet, as audiences learnt about Moira's diagnosis of a brain tumour, casting a shadow of turmoil over her and her loved ones.

Before her defining role in Emmerdale, Natalie J. Robb honed her craft on various programmes and movies, including a notable step into the soap arena as Jude Carlyle on BBC's Doctors back in 2001 marking the start of her soap career, reports the Mirror.

But to the surprise of many Emmerdale diehards, its just come to light that Natalie had a stint on EastEnders too, where she played Gemma Clewes, mistress to none other than Walford heavyweight Max Branning (portrayed by Jake Wood), back in July 2006.

A fan on an Emmerdale Facebook page sparked widespread revelation when they uploaded snaps of Natalie's lesser-known part in the BBC soap, sparking quite the conversation with the caption: "Max's bit on the side."

"None other than the woman who plays Moira Dingle now in Emmerdale. I didn't even remember it," they remarked. Jumping into the discussion, another user added their two cents in the comments: "What the heck," complete with a mind-blown emoji.

A third contributed: "I had to look twice to make sure it was her."