Celia Daniels was revealed as the ruthless mastermind this week — and the actor who plays her has a story that makes the performance hit even harder. Jaye Griffiths, the commanding force behind Celia, opens up about surviving five years of abuse, the long haul of rebuilding a life, and why she’s hungry for fierce, physical roles well into her 60s.

A villain who chills the village

Celia’s unmasking rewires Emmerdale’s county-lines plot. The woman who quietly ran the drug operation shows she’s colder and more dangerous than anyone guessed. In one jolting scene she physically intimidates April Windsor, and the episode makes clear she isn’t just small-time — she’s the boss everyone fears.

The actor behind the menace

Offscreen, Jaye Griffiths is not what Celia projects. In a raw interview on the How to be 60 podcast she revealed she spent five years trapped in an abusive relationship marked by gaslighting, control and violence. “I couldn’t tell anybody because I was so ashamed,” she says. “You would now use the term gaslight — but I couldn’t make a decision.”

Those years left traces. Simple choices — heating the house, answering a knock — once carried penalties. Rebuilding self-trust took time and tiny victories: choosing a sandwich, asking for a herbal tea. Those details, she says, were her foundations for getting back to herself.

Survival informs the performance

Griffiths draws on that history to deliver Celia with bone-deep conviction. She praises newcomer Max Murray — who plays Joel/ Ray’s enforcer — for taking on a brutal part with maturity, and calls the storyline “brilliantly written.” But she also admits playing such sustained darkness takes a toll. After weeks “carrying the weight” of the story she felt drained and welcomed lighter scenes.

From trauma to safety

Now 62 and happily married for more than two decades, Griffiths describes a gentle home life that finally feels safe: “Home is now safe, as it should always have been; that’s what everybody deserves.” She also lays bare how racism shaped her childhood — memories that add further texture to the person the audience sees today.

Demanding roles at any age

Griffiths has spent a career playing formidable women on shows like Casualty, Silent Witness and Doctor Who. Turning 60 didn’t dim her ambitions — it sharpened them. She wants roles that let her fight, stunt and defy the “fragile sixty” stereotype. “I run marathons,” she warns. “Stop treating me like I’m fragile — I can still do the stunt work.”

Why the story matters

The county-lines plot is built to unsettle. It feeds into real harms — exploitation of young people, coercion, and violence — and Emmerdale has worked with charities to ensure the portrayal lands responsibly. Griffiths believes the storyline matters: it gives young audiences a mirror and gives actors the dramatic material they crave.