Andy Sugden

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Emmerdale character
Image:Andy Sugden.jpg
Andy Sugden
Played by Kelvin Fletcher
Duration 1996-
Date of Birth 28th January 1986
Date of Death
Marital Status Married
Occupation Farmer
Family Jack, Robert, Victoria, Daz, Sarah

Andy Sugden (previously Hopwood) is a character in the British soap opera Emmerdale. He is played by Kelvin Fletcher.

[edit] About Andy

When 10-year-old Andy Hopwood arrived in Emmerdale he was deeply scarred after a horrendous childhood. But Andy’s luck changed when he was taken in by the kindly Sugden family. It took him a long time to settle down and, just as Andy was finding his feet, his past caught up with him. Andy’s jailbird father Billy Hopwood came to the village and his confused son immediately ran to his side, moving out of the loving bosom of the Sugden family into a grotty caravan with his dad.

But Andy’s loyalty was betrayed when Billy started to get up to his old tricks - and starting stealing from members of the community. Billy’s crime spree ended in tragedy for more than one Emmerdale resident when he conducted an armed robbery on Vic Windsor’s post office on Christmas Day 1998.

The incident left Vic dead, his family in mourning and Andy distraught. Thankfully, the Sugdens took him back in. However, if Andy was hoping for a quiet family life, he was to be horribly disappointed.

Jack and Sarah Sugden’s marriage was disintegrating and, although it lasted long enough for them to legally adopt him, it was soon to end in terrible circumstances. Sarah had taken a lover, the Sugden’s lodger Richie, and when the family found out, Jack threw her out and refused her access to their children.

The turmoil plunged Andy into despair and Jack’s financial problems were taking their toll too. When Andy discovered the failing farm was worth more on paper than in actuality, he hatched a plan to burn it down so they could collect the insurance money. Tragically, on the night he decided to torch the place, Sarah and Richie were in the barn talking about their future. The blaze killed Sarah and Jack stood accused of her murder until Richie retracted his statement, claiming he saw his love rival at the scene, realising Andy was the culprit.

It took a long time, but Andy finally came to terms with what had happened and started dating pretty schoolgirl Katie Addyman. The couple got serious very quickly, to the despair of their parents, and Katie’s dad insisted they stop seeing each other. In retaliation, Katie decided to get pregnant to force her father to back down. The situation got out of hand and Katie endured a miscarriage. But the couple stuck together and in 2004, they were planning their wedding.

The problem was that Katie had started to get close to Andy’s adopted brother Robert. Believing herself to just be suffering from a bad case of lust, Katie started sleeping with Robert to get it out of her system.

But, even as she took her wedding vows, she realised she’d made a terrible mistake. Andy and Katie’s relationship limped on for a few months but the affair was exposed to her horrified husband and sparks flew.

Furious at what they’d been getting up to, Andy turned a gun on Robert but accidentally shot Jack instead. The incident estranged Andy from his entire family and he retreated to Butler’s Farm with his step-brother Daz, Cain Dingle and his daughter Debbie for company.

Troubled and vulnerable, Andy started sleeping with Debbie - who he believed himself to be in love with. But this was another relationship thwarted by family. When the Dingles discovered what had been going on, they went mad and Andy was on the receiving end of a severe beating.

He spent a few weeks alone before starting to date posh totty Libby Charles - but, just as they were getting serious, it was revealed that Debbie had had his baby. Although it was a shock to his system, Andy soon got the hang of being a dad and even gave his relationship with Debbie another go.

However, it didn’t work out and he had to settle to visits with the beautiful baby. The problem was that Debbie had really struggled to take to motherhood and their split made matters even worse. As the Dingles and the Sugdens got together for a rare moment of unity for Sarah’s christening, Debbie had made the decision to give her daughter away. When Andy discovered that Emily Kirk had taken Sarah away, Andy was completely devastated. There was nothing he could do, though, and he retreated back to the farm in depression. Sarah’s loss hit Andy really hard and over the next few months he threw himself into his work. But fate was about to turn his life upside down again.

Andy was horrified to hear that Katie had been involved in a terrible car crash that had killed her father and left her in a coma. He went to the hospital and willed Katie to get better and when she awoke from her coma, it became clear there was still a lot of love between them.

The Sugdens couldn’t believe that Andy would take Katie back again after everything that had happened, but he couldn’t help himself. But their reunion was to have far-reaching consequences.

Although Jack and Diane were stunned by the reconciliation, Daz was absolutely horrified. Furious that Andy would trust her again, Daz tried to convince him to give Katie the boot – and when Andy wouldn’t Daz moved out. But while Jack and Diane were happy to give the lad a temporary roof over his head, the situation was far from ideal.

Daz eventually moved back in but the situation was very volatile – especially when Daz kissed Katie to prove she was still a two-timer! Sickened by the whole situation, Daz elected to move back to his mother – who swore she’d reformed her alcoholic ways. Andy was heartbroken but couldn’t give Katie up no matter what the cost.

Meanwhile, Jo Stiles had moved into Butler’s Farm and was very much enjoying having a flirty friendship with the attractive farmer, especially since it seemed to wind Katie up so much.

[edit] Family