Emmett J. Scanlan has joined the cast of ITV's hit crime drama Unforgotten, which returned to screens with its long-awaited sixth season earlier this month. The new episodes follow DCI Jessica James (Sinéad Keenan) and DI Sunil 'Sunny' Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) as they investigate the discovery of human remains on Whitney Marsh.
Emmett is no stranger to starring in hit dramas, having landed roles in Peaky Blinders, Kin, Fool Me Once and. But how much do you know about his life off-screen? And did you know that his wife is also a TV star?
© @claire_e_cooper/InstagramEmmett's famous wife
Emmett is married to actress Claire Cooper, who is perhaps best known for playing Jacqui McQueen in Hollyoaks. The 44-year-old, who hails from Wakefield, most recently starred in Channel 5's hit period drama, The Hardacres, in the role of Mary Hardacre.
Emmett first met Claire when he joined the cast of Hollyoaks in 2010, in which he played Brendan Brady.
© Photo: HELLO!Emmett and Claire's New York wedding
The couple got engaged in December 2014 after three years of dating. Announcing the news on Instagram, Emmett shared a photo of the pair kissing whilst enjoying a glass of red wine. He captioned the snap: "There are over a million ways to ask the question, but only one real answer…," adding the hashtag: "#WorldsLongestHangoverStartsToday."
The lovebirds said 'I do' in a former warehouse in New York which boasted incredible views of the city.
Emmett and Claire shared their wedding photos exclusively with HELLO!. The Peaky Blinders actor told us at the time: "It's something I'll never forget. Everyone got behind the wedding with such love that it was overwhelming at times."
© @scandalous_13 / InstagramEmmett's family life
Emmett and Claire share two children together. They welcomed their son, Ocean-Torin, in July 2020, and their daughter, Fiáin-Luna, in November 2022.
Emmett is also a dad to his 22-year-old daughter Kayla from a previous relationship.
© Harvey/BAFTA/ShutterstockEmmett and Claire's path to parenthood
The couple have been very open about their journey to parenthood and have spoken candidly about losing a baby before welcoming their son, Ocean.
Opening up about their ordeal, Emmett revealed the pair were "over the moon" when they first discovered Claire was pregnant but three months later, were devastated when they lost their baby in a miscarriage.
"I'm lying in bed, and I wake up and Claire's not beside me, and I hear noises from the bathroom," he told the Original Penguin Under the Surface podcast.
"I go into the bathroom and she's lying on the floor. She's ashen in colour and she's barely breathing, and there's blood everywhere," recalled the actor. "I called the ambulance and she went to hospital. She lost a third of her blood and almost lost her life. And we lost the little heartbeat, that was Phoenix, our son."
