Emmerdale's Jeff Hordley on how he and Zoë coped in lockdown

Emmerdale star Jeff Hordley has opened up about his experience of lockdown with wife and fellow soap star Zoë Henry, admitting their allotment was a big help.

The pair, who play Cain Dingle and Rhona Goskirk on the ITV soap, have been mainstays of the soap for two decades, and married back in 2003.

Appearing on today's (May 12) This Morning, Jeff spoke about the couple's allotment, explaining how it aided their mental health during the tough period.

emmerdale stars jeff hordley and zoe henry

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"I'm telling you, just during the whole COVID lockdowns... because that was a two minute walk from our house," he said.

"[The allotment] really helped Zoë and I. The dogs came over and the children came over with us. Just getting your hands in the earth, it's so good for you and mental health.

"Just watching something grow is such a positive experience, because it reaffirms life," Jeff added.

Back in March, Zoë revealed how her and Jeff met, explaining that they actually knew each other from drama school before Emmerdale.

"We got together at drama school. We've been together 28 years," she told Lorraine. "With the connection on set, we were together for 10 years before that as well. We got together in 1994, I believe."

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The actress also touched upon the fact that they share very few scenes together on the soap, admitting it is "great", elaborating: "It just means we have a very separate existence at work and I think we both appreciate that and like that."

She added of home life: "We often do line learning together. This time, Jeff's been amazing. He's just taking the weight of what's going on at home.

"Obviously we've got two kids, two dogs, we've got an allotment and he's just managing all of that. He's about to get busy as I sort of quiet down so we'll swap the baton then."

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and streams on the ITV Hub.