Dying Anya’s fight for life in Emmerdale as Bear takes desperate action
Bear Wolf’s (Joshua Richards) dramatic return to the Dales will see him turn hero as he tries to save a life in Emmerdale.
Viewers have now learned the reason behind Bear’s mysterious disappearance – he was preyed on as a vulnerable older man and has been entrapped by modern slavery.
It’s also turned out that Anya – the stowaway discovered by Caleb Miligan (William Ash) and Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) in the back of one of Caleb’s vans – is also caught up in the exploitation ring.
When she was found, Anya was sick and Ruby (Beth Cordingly) immediately grew attached, recognising a lot of her own vulnerabilities in the woman, especially after she learned she had a young daughter.
Anya, Ray and Bear in an attic in Emmerdale
Anya arrived in England via one of the trucks at Caleb’s depot (Picture: ITV)
Ruby cared for Anya at home almost at the cost of her marriage as Caleb was terrified that he’d be done for trafficking if she was ever found.
But who knew Anya would hold a link to missing Bear.
Bear left the village in the Summer after a fall out with Paddy (Dominic Brunt) left him feeling unwelcome. He vowed to visit friends in Ireland but never arrived.
It has since transpired the poor, vulnerable grandad has been being exploited by modern slavery – and so has Anya. And the two keys that link all this together – Celia (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray (Joe Absolom).
Anya is still not well, having taken off from Caleb and Ruby’s with the £2,000 only to end up back in Ray and Celia’s grasps. Fellow slave Bear has been looking after her. She has a nasty fever, but being an illegal immigrant, cannot seek medical help.
Ray Walters confronting a struggling Bear Wolf in Emmerdale.
Bear was found by Ray in the summer (Picture: ITV)
Bear has been desperately trying to help the young woman, but Ray orders him back to work – time is money after all. But Ray, who’s been showing tiny glimpses of humanity in recent weeks, promises to get antibiotics.
He returns to the farm but is visibly shaken by Anya’s worsening state – especially having learned she has a daughter. Ray softens and allows Bear to stay with her, but things take a dire turn when she starts drifting in and out of consciousness.