Emmerdale’s Bear Wolf has spent several months in captivity at the hands of villains Ray Walters and Celia Daniels.
Steven Gidwaney has confirmed he has finished filming his role as Simo on Emmerdale. Simo was introduced as part of the show’s modern slavery storyline, which has seen Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) trapped and forced to work for villains Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) and Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) with no escape.
Bear has been held for months in a cramped, filthy cellar beneath Celia’s farmhouse. Over time, he has also formed bonds with others in the same predicament, including Simo.
Last week, prisoners Simo and Mick (Leon Harrop) put their escape plan into action to finally break free from Ray and Celia’s control. After Mick revealed to Bear that the key to their freedom was in the kitchen, Bear retrieved it and handed it over to Simo. He reassured Mick and Simo that with Ray out with Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) and Celia occupied elsewhere, they’d be alone on the farm.
However, months of manipulation had left Bear with a distorted sense of loyalty to Ray, and he urged Simo and Mick to stay. Ultimately, Bear ended up catching them as they tried to flee.
Following the failed escape, Ray transferred Simo to another farm. While fans may have hoped for his return to rescue Bear, Steven Gidwaney confirmed his departure in a heartfelt Instagram post.
He wrote: “Where do I start? What a pleasure it’s been to be involved in such a HUGE storyline. To have been trusted with something like this is amazing to me!
“Firstly, I’d like to thank my incredibly hardworking agent for always pushing me through that door. You work so hard, I appreciate you so much, and I’m so glad to have you in my corner.”
He continued: “Secondly, the whole team at Emmerdale! Cast, crew, kitchen staff, everyone! Amazing people and honestly the best place I’ve had the pleasure of working!
“A special thank you to Faye Styring and Ezra Tren-Humphries for giving me the opportunity to play Simo. Another huge thanks to Tim O’Mara, Eamonn Norris, Jeff Naylor, and Gary Williams—what fabulous directors to work with.”
“I’ve loved every second of being Simo!”
Hinting that the storyline is far from over, he added: “A BIG thank you to everyone for all your love and support. Keep watching the nation’s favourite farm to see what happens with Bear, Celia, and Ray!”