Emmerdale’s Steve Marchant Could Hold the Key to Kim’s 1999 Secret

Emmerdale’s revelation that DS Thea Ramsden is Kim’s secret daughter has brought renewed attention to Steve Marchant, the businessman who married Kim shortly before her famous helicopter escape in 1999.

Played by Paul Opacic between 1996 and 1999, Steve was imprisoned after a criminal scheme involving a stolen racehorse and an attack on Kathy Glover. His marriage to Kim ended when she fled the village, leaving him to face the consequences.

With Thea now confirmed as the daughter Kim gave up for adoption in 1999, Steve’s relationship with Kim has become relevant again. The dates make him a possible biological father, although Emmerdale has not confirmed his involvement.

What happened between Kim and Steve?

Steve arrived in Emmerdale in March 1996 as a former university friend of Rachel Hughes, with whom he had previously been romantically involved.

He subsequently developed business connections with the Tate family before becoming involved with Kim following Frank’s death in 1997.

Kim and Steve married in May 1998, but financial difficulties soon threatened their business interests and their future at Home Farm.

Steve became involved in the theft of Orsino, a valuable thoroughbred worth approximately £300,000. During the events surrounding the crime, he drove his vehicle at Kathy, leaving her seriously injured.

He later attempted to suffocate Kathy in hospital, fearing that she could identify him, but Kim intervened before he could kill her.

Steve was subsequently arrested while attempting to leave the country, and his relationship with Kim deteriorated as they faced criminal charges.

Why did Kim betray Steve in 1999?

Their trial began on 12 January 1999, with Steve admitting the theft of Orsino and obtaining money by deception from an insurance company.

He denied attempting to murder Kathy, while Kim pleaded not guilty to the theft and deception charges.

Kathy initially testified that she had seen Steve before the collision and that his vehicle had been driven towards her.

However, she later returned to the witness box and questioned whether Kim had influenced her recollection of the incident during a hospital visit, creating further difficulties for Kim’s defence.

Rather than wait for the verdict, Kim escaped Emmerdale by helicopter with Jamie on 19 January 1999, leaving Steve behind.

The following day, Steve was convicted and imprisoned. The original episode synopsis records a ten-year sentence, while other historical accounts describe a combined sentence of twelve years.

His final appearance aired on 20 January 1999, and the character has not returned since.

Could Steve be Thea’s father?

Thea’s identity was revealed to viewers in September through a flashback set in a hospital maternity ward in 1999.

The scenes showed a younger Kim visiting her newborn daughter and asking for the baby to be named Anthea before giving her up for adoption.

The dates are significant because Kim married Steve in 1998 and fled Emmerdale in January 1999, the same year Thea was born.

However, the programme has not established when Thea was conceived, whether Steve knew about the pregnancy or whether another man was involved.

Thursday 29 October’s episode brought Kim and Thea together in hospital after Kim recognised her daughter’s full name on her driving licence.

Kim explained that she had been on the run when she gave Thea up, believing that keeping both her newborn daughter and Jamie could result in losing them.

Thea revealed that her adoptive mother had died shortly after her seventh birthday and that she had struggled with her adoptive father’s resentment.

Their conversation left Thea reconsidering whether to report Kim for the stabbing that had brought her to hospital, but the identity of her biological father was not addressed.

What happened to actor Paul Opacic?

Paul Opacic has continued to appear in various British television shows after leaving Emmerdale, including playing prison officer Mark Waddle in Bad Girls and Adrian Huby in the BBC drama The Chase.

He later became familiar to Hollyoaks viewers as Carl Costello, appearing between 2010 and 2013 before returning in 2018 for the character’s final storyline.

Coronation Street viewers may also recognise him as Stefan Brent, the father of Corey Brent, who murdered Seb Franklin, appearing in the role in 2021 and returned in 2024.

His other television credits include The Bill, Waterloo Road, Holby City, Heartbeat and Doctors.

Will Steve Marchant return to Emmerdale?

Steve was imprisoned rather than killed off, meaning his original departure does not prevent a future appearance.

Emmerdale producer Sophie Roper has indicated that questions surrounding Thea’s history will be answered as the storyline develops, with further surprises promised.

Steve’s marriage to Kim places him within the relevant historical period, but the connection remains unconfirmed.

A return could force Kim to confront the former husband she abandoned during their trial, while potentially revealing whether he knew about Thea’s existence.

For now, Steve’s disappearance in January 1999 is an established part of Kim’s past, while his possible connection to Thea remains an unanswered question - and one which fans can’t wait to revisit!

Emmerdale airs on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX. Image credits ITV/Lime Pictures