Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden shares health update after major surgery

Former Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden has given fans an update on his health after undergoing major surgery. The actor, 43, who is best known for playing David Metcalfe in the ITV soap, took to Instagram stories to share before and after pictures of his knee surgery. 

The first snap showed Matthew’s tattooed legs waiting to go into surgery and the second was his knee all bandaged up with the text “All Done.” In the third snap the actor wrote: “Repair to meniscus, patella tendon and cartilage damage all done. Took two hours instead of the 45 mins they initially thought. 

Matthew then went on to thank everyone at Harrogate District Hospital and girlfriend Heather Scott-Martin for picking him up and for “playing nurse this week.” It was first reported that Matthew was dating the personal trainer in December 2023, a month after he announced his split from Charley Webb.

The actor was previously married to his Emmerdale co-star Charley who played Debbie Dingle in the soap from 2002 to 2021. The couple were married for five years and share three children together. 

Matthew played the role of David Metcalfe in Emmerdale for over two decades. During an interview on This Morning at the time, he said: “I am so nervous about leaving, nearly 20 years, almost two decades. It feels like the right time, the door has been left open - they're not killing me off, I've been promised. Who knows, I might be back [in the future]. Yeah, but we will see.”

Natalie Dixon is NationalWorld’s Lifestyle reporter. If you liked this article and want to read more about soaps, celebrities and lifestyle you can follow Natalie Dixon on X here. 

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