Scott Windsor in Emmerdale on a background of the Emmerdale village
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Exploring Scott Windsor’s tumultuous life and complex family ties in Emmerdale

How was Scott related to Cathy and Heath Hope?

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Scott Windsor in Emmerdale was the bad-boy, love-rat of the Dales. His love life was often complicated and very dramatic, and his family tree was just as complicated!

What was Scott’s story? And how exactly is he related to Bob Hope, Cathy and Heath?

Scott Windsor in Emmerdale
Scott was the bad boy of Emmerdale (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Who was Scott Windsor in Emmerdale?

Surly Scott was the son of Viv Windsor and stepbrother of Kelly Windsor. Kelly’s dad Vic was his stepdad, while Donna Windsor – Viv and Vic’s daughter – was his half-sister.

Cathy and Heath, who were born about a month after Scott left Emmerdale forever, are also Scott’s half-siblings. They all share their mum, Viv.

Scott and Kelly

When Scott returned to the village after a stint in the army, he and Kelly grew close.

Kelly was engaged to Roy Glover, but she and Scott couldn’t resist one another and they began an affair. Kelly and Roy tied the knot, but she and Scott carried on sleeping together.

However, Kelly couldn’t cope with the guilt and eventually left for London.

Scott and Kelly Windsor look worried in Emmerdale
Kelly and Scott were step-siblings but they fell in love (Credit: ITV/YouTube)

Scott and Zoe Tate

Scott started dating Chloe Atkinson, but one night he drove Zoe Tate home. She was in the grip of schizophrenia at the time – though Scott was unaware she was ill – and the pair had a one-night stand.

Zoe had a baby – Jean – and for months Jean’s paternity was a mystery. Scott kept quiet about their hook-up, until he eventually reminded Zoe they’d slept together.

Zoe – who was a lesbian – was convinced Scott had raped her. And Zoe’s brother Chris launched a hate campaign against poor Scott, even paying a stripper to sleep with Scott then accuse him of rape.

When Zoe found out, she told Scott she would get the charges dropped as long as he signed away his rights to baby Jean.

Scott Windsor grimaces
Scott was furious when Zoe decided to leave Emmerdale (Credit: YouTube/ITV)

More drama for Scott

Scott stood by Charity Dingle – then Charity Tate – when she was framed for killing Chris, who’d actually taken his own life.

With Chris gone, he and Zoe grew closer and he began building a relationship with little Jean.

But things took a turn for the dramatic when Zoe decided to emigrate with her daughter and nephew Joseph.

A string of events followed with Zoe and Scott both trying to outsmart each other.

Scott attacked Zoe and tried to rape her, before she injected him with ketamine and stabbed him!

Later, Scott took Zoe hostage in revenge.

Eventually, Scott left the village after having an affair with Debbie Dingle. He later called his mum to say he wasn’t coming home.

Scott holds Zoe and the children hostage with a shotgun
Scott didn’t want to lose little Jean (Credit: ITV/YouTube)

Who played Scott Windsor in Emmerdale?

Scott Windsor was played by actor Ben Freeman.

Ben started his acting career with the role of Chris Longworth in legendary kids’ TV show Grange Hill.

From there he landed the job of Scott Windsor – taking over from previous actor Toby Cockerell – and quickly became a household name.

But Ben has a personal life that’s been almost as dramatic as his alter ego’s.

He fought for two years to clear his name from a rape allegation, and faced very public accusations of cheating on his wife, followed by a divorce.

Ben Freeman as Scott Windsor in Emmerdale
Scott was a bad boy (Credit: YouTube/ITV)

Ben’s off-screen dramas

When Scott left Emmerdale, it was because actor Ben had been accused of raping a young woman while he was on holiday in Barbados in November 2006.

Ben had to wait two years before the case came to trial in late 2008, when he was found not guilty.

Is Ben Freeman married?

When he was in Emmerdale, Ben was in a relationship with co-star Amy Nuttall, who played his on-screen girlfriend Chloe, but the pair split.

In 2010, Ben tied the knot with Jennifer Biddall, who played Jessica Harris in Hollyoaks. They’d met when they starred together in Dreamboats and Petticoats in the West End.

The pair had a son together, but split after Ben was accused of cheating on Jennifer with another co-star, this time from his time in Wicked.

Caleb in EastEnders
Ben turned up in EastEnders last year playing Chelsea’s nemesis, Caleb (Credit: BBC/YouTube)

What’s Ben Freeman doing now?

Ben was axed from Emmerdale when he was accused of rape, and he turned his attention to the stage.

He’s starred in several musicals, including the Rocky Horror Show.

In 2021 sharp-eyed soap fans will have spotted him playing Caleb in EastEnders, who turned up to torment Chelsea Fox.

Read more: Complete Emmerdale cast list 2023 – meet them all here!

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Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an hour episode on Thursdays.

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Kerry Barrett
Freelance Soap Writer