Holly Barton in Emmerdale: Relationship with Aaron, drug addiction and untimely death
She was played by Sophie Powles
Holly Barton and her family arrived in Emmerdale in 2009 and moved into Butlers Farm.
She recently got a namecheck when her mum Moira was feeling concerned about her brain tumour diagnosis and upcoming operation. Visiting Holly’s tree, she opened up to Matty about her fears. With Matty telling his mum that Holly would have wanted her to have the operation.
And tonight (Wednesday November 20) Holly appears to Moira as she goes under the knife.
Holly’s life ended tragically, but what was her story?
The arrival of Holly Barton and her relationship with Aaron in Emmerdale
Holly settled into village life quickly, securing a job at Home Farm, making friends with Maisie Wylde and starting a college course in Art. She soon met Aaron, who she was immediately attracted to.
When Aaron accused Holly’s father of assault, she tried to seduce Aaron in an attempt to get him to drop the charges against John. Aaron told Holly he’d drop the charges if she had sex with him. Holly was disgusted and walked out. But the two did end up dating.
It soon became obvious that Aaron was struggling with his sexuality and was using Holly to convince everyone that he wasn’t gay. Aaron tried to kiss Holly’s brother Adam. When Adam relayed this information to Holly, she didn’t believe him, but she did eventually break up with Aaron.
Drug addiction
Holly’s main storyline throughout her time in Emmerdale was her battle against drug addiction. She begun by using drugs recreationally and was sacked from Home Farm after giving Maisie cocaine on a night out.
Things spiralled for Holly and she spent her time with her friend Roz – who supplied her with the drugs. She was eventually thrown out of college.
Holly tried to get clean, but temptation was never too far away. On a night out with Aaron and Jackson, she bumped into Roz and once against took cocaine. Things got worse when she started flirting with a stranger to secure more drugs and took ecstasy, leading to her overdosing in the toilet. Fortunately, Aaron found her in time.
Holly’s addiction saw her stealing ketamine from vet Rhona and money from Scarlett’s purse. She stole Valium pills and items such as MP3 players that she could sell for more drug money.
When her parents demanded answers, Holly blamed Roz, but Roz told the truth – Holly had a serious drug problem. They tried to help her, but Holly ran away, only returning when she was tracked down or needed money.
John and Moira locked Holly in a room in an attempt to stop her taking drugs, but the withdrawal became too difficult and Moira ended up purchasing heroin for her daughter in order to wean her off drugs slowly.
John’s death and exit
Holly was devastated when she discovered that her mum was having an affair with Cain Dingle. Holly was determined to get her parents back together and was delighted when the plan worked. Along with her siblings Hannah and Adam, Holly booked a hotel room for their parents.
The trio were later devastated to learn that John and Moira had been involved in a car accident and John hadn’t survived. Holly tried to be strong for her mother, but couldn’t help feeling guilty, believing that her dad’s death was her fault.
She purchased some drugs, but was caught by Alex Moss before she could take them. However, on another occasion she did go through with it, but she convinced her family it was a one off.
Needing a clean break, Holly decided to leave the Dales in 2012 for London to live with Roz. Holly secured a job in designing and said goodbye to her family. Adam was upset, believing the family should stick together, but Holly was adamant and Hannah decided to go with her.
How did Holly Barton die in Emmerdale?
In 2016, Holly returned to Emmerdale, but it soon became clear that she had been taking drugs again. When her ex-boyfriend Dean turned up demanding cash for the drugs he supplied, she tried to bribe Charity into giving her the cash.
Holly was later attacked by Dean and found by Cain. Holly became attracted to Cain and tried to split him and her mum up, but it didn’t work and Moira told Holly to leave the farm.
After taking drugs again, Holly was found by her cousins Pete and Ross Barton and rushed to hospital. Moira promised to be there for her and help her through her addiction. Moira told Holly she didn’t want her to die and Holly promised to get clean again.
Holly found support from fellow drug addict Jai after meeting him at a support group and the two of them attended a wedding together.
The next day, Moira took some tea to Holly’s room, but seeing she was still asleep she left it there. Later, when Holly was still not up, Moira went to her daughter’s room once again and spotted a heroin wrapper on the floor. She struggled to wake Holly and it was later revealed that Holly had died from a heroin overdose.
Who played Holly Barton in Emmerdale?
Holly was played by Sophie Powles. Before landing the part of Holly Barton in Emmerdale, Sophie appeared in Holby City and Dalziel and Pascoe. She also had a main role in teen musical drama Britannia High.
Since leaving Emmerdale, Sophie has taken a step back from acting, although she did appear in one episode of The Long Shadow in 2023.
In 2021, Sophie gave birth to her first child, Marli, and she often writes poetry, which she sells in the form of art prints online.
Read more: The Barton family tree in Emmerdale
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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