Five Fast Facts About British Soap Star Matthew Wolfenden

Matthew Wolfenden is a British actor who is best known for playing David Metcalfe on Emmerdale for nearly 15 years.

Along with his work on the British soap, Wolfenden has also appeared in shows such as The Courtroom and Hollyoaks: Let Loose. From his dream of becoming an Olympic gymnast to his struggles with depression, here are five fast facts about the actor.

Who Is Matthew Wolfenden?

Wolfenden was born on May 5 in Norwood Green, West Yorkshire, England. He was raised with his younger brother, David, and attended Brighouse High School.

Gymnast Dreams
The actor was a member of the British gymnastics squad until the age of 16 and had dreams of making it to the Olympics. However, while practicing on the rings late at night, he fractured two vertebrae in his spine and unfortunately had to give up the sport forever.

Soap Career
Knowing he needed to make a change, Wolfenden became passionate about acting. He was eventually cast as David Metcalfe in Emmerdale in 2006 and has been a part of the series ever since. He had originally auditioned for the role of Eli Dingle but lost out to Joseph Gilgun.

Mental Health Awareness

Wolfenden has been very open about his struggles with depression, revealing he first started feeling the symptoms when he was 23 years old. Though his doctor prescribed him antidepressants at the time, Wolfenden is a strong advocate for talk therapy, which he says helped him deal with his emotions.

Getting Personal With Matthew Wolfenden
He married his Emmerdale co-star Charley Webb in 2018, after getting engaged in 2009. They have three children together — son Buster (born April 2010), son Bowie (born December 2015), and son Ace (born July 2019).

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