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Joshua Richards was very unexpected when he first joined Emmerdale . People didn’t know how to react to his character Bear Wolf, the biological father of Paddy Kirk , who was a professional wrestler who dressed up like a Viking. However, what was meant to be a six-month gig turned into a six-year career, with him becoming a beloved star . Joshua is originally from Yorkshire - where Emmerdale is set - and is around 65 years old. His mother, Jean, was an Emmerdale superfan, but she sadly passed away at 80 years old - before her son joined the soap. When he first began filming for the show, Joshua said: “My mum Jean was an ardent fan. “We watched it when it was Emmerdale Farm and she would have been over the moon that I was doing it but we lost her last year. “It’s really sad that she couldn’t be around to watch me in it. She didn’t know I got the part. I just thought, if only my mum was here to see this.” Joshua has been married to his wife Sarah for over three decades and they live in Halifax in West Yorkshire together. They primarily keep their relationship private and away from the spotlight, however, he has credited her for supporting his health transformation. He shared how he used to spend a lot of time touring for work, but now due to his work on Emmerdale, he is at home much more now. The role of Bear was only meant to be for six months, but his contract has been extended several times. “I was very happy when they extended my time - from six months to now going on six years. I've lived in Yorkshire most of my life, so it's fantastic to be working here,” he told the Mirror. Joshua has dropped four stone in the past two years, going from 17.5 stone to 13.5 stone - he was even able to reverse his Type 2 diabetes. “My health wasn't too good,” he told the Mirror. “And I was tucking into all the wrong meals from Emmerdale catering like lasagne and chips!" However, his wife has helped him to change-up his diet for the better. The actor said: “We read a book by Dr Meghan Rossi called Eat More Live Well - and that really helped me lose the weight. I did what it told me - ate more vegetables, more fibre and looked after my gut health. I drank a lot of kefir - a fermented milk drink similar to yogurt. And now I longer need to take tablets for my blood pressure. “You can take all this weight off without taking weight loss jabs. There's not enough research on them. I'm living proof you can do it. I don't exercise, because I have a bad back, so it's all through diet.” He added: “I remember coming back to Emmerdale because I was off for a bit, and when people haven't seen you for a while, they really notice. They said, ‘Oh, you've lost weight. How did you do that? And I said, ‘Well, I've kept away from you. That must help!’”
