ITV Share By Rebecca Sayers Jun 25 2025 By Rebecca Sayers Jun 25 2025 Emmerdale star Bradley Riches responds to Lewis criticism as co-stars rush to support him Bradley wants to educate people Bradley Riches Emmerdale Cast Lewis Barton Share By Rebecca Sayers Jun 25 2025 By Rebecca Sayers Jun 25 2025 Emmerdale star Bradley Riches has responded to criticism regarding his new character Lewis Barton. Bradley first appeared on Emmerdale as the newest Barton boy last month. And since then a lot of fans have grown to love his character, and his relationship with Ross. As well as appreciating all the behind the scenes TikTok’s that he has been getting the cast to participate in. But it seems some viewers have been trolling Bradley over his character. And now, he has taken to Instagram to respond to the negativity. Bradley is a huge advocate for autism (Credit: ITV) Bradley Riches responds to Lewis criticism The character of Lewis Barton is Emmerdale’s first neurodivergent character, and he also happens to be gay. And it seems to be these things, along with the fact he wears nail polish, that some people have been cruelly trolling Bradley for. Even off-screen Bradley has been an advocate for neurodivergent awareness for years, and he hoped to be able to spread even more awareness through his portrayal of Lewis. article continues below Read all the latest spoilers Posting on his Instagram, Bradley shared an image of his character Lewis, and put some hateful comments on the screen around him for all to see. He captioned the post: “Thoughts of the evening. I have been messaged a lot recently to see if I’m okay after some ‘mean’ comments regarding the character I play on Emmerdale. “Comments like ‘we need normal people, that’s why the world is twisted’ or ‘why not have ordinary healthy straight characters’ and even ‘ why does any boy want to wear nail polish?’ Honestly, I don’t see them as nasty comments.. I see them as uneducated ones.” Bradley explained: “My character is gay. He is autistic. He wears nail polish and he hyper fixates. And he gets nervous and sad. He is human. And for many people, this may be the first time they’ve seen someone like him on screen and that’s exactly why representation matters. The unfamiliar can feel uncomfortable at first. But when we show the full spectrum of real people, we help open hearts, minds and conversations.” Bradley admitted he was “proud” to play a character who “challenges outdated ideas” because he is “normal”. He concluded by reinforcing that “everyone deserves to feel seen”. Lewis first appeared on our screens last month (Credit: ITV) Emmerdale co-stars support him Very quickly, loads of Emmerdale fans showed their love for Bradley, and his character, Lewis. But so did those he works with at Emmerdale. Mike Parr, his on-screen brother Ross Barton, liked the post and simply commented: “Love you x”. Emmerdale’s other new-boy Kammy actor Shebz commented: “Don’t know who I love more, Brad or Lewis” with a heart emoji. “Yes. Yes. And yes. You are loved. The end” commented Ruby actress, Beth Cordingly. Matty Barton actor, Ash Palmisciano penned: “You are amazing! And someone out there really needs to see you on screen doing your thing and smashing it. Proud of you mate! Keep shining like the star you are.” While Belle Dingle actress, Eden Taylor-Draper penned: “You are the best.” Read more: 5 theories on who Lewis’ dad is, as Emmerdale fans convinced we already know him Share this:Click to share on X (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) Good to Know Share By Rebecca Sayers Jun 25 2025 By Rebecca Sayers Jun 25 2025
