Emmerdale's Declan Macey will be left unable to look after his daughter after his wife Ella reveals she is not the child's real father. Declan, who is played by actor Jason Merrells, is left reeling by the news that Mia's father is actually the product of a fling with his best friend Jai - which Ella reveals as revenge for Declan telling Mia her mother had an affair with her boyfriend Adam Barton. "He is gutted," Jason said. "Terribly, terribly hurt but he buries it because he's not great at understanding his own emotions. So he becomes a bit manic but it affects him very deeply." "He can't bear to look at her, he can't do the whole dad thing, it's too raw and too soon and I think he needs to buy himself space. And also the longer she's there the more likely that Jai and his brother Nikhil will say something," he added. "He wants to keep it from her. He doesn't think that she should be told anything. Jason also explained that Declan needs to cope with his feelings towards the girl he thought was his daughter. "It totally changes things. On paper he wants to be the enlightened human being who would say, 'Look it doesn't matter, I'm your dad I brought you up'," the actor said. "At the same time he can't quite look at her without seeing all that. Seeing Jai in her face really. So he finds it really difficult."
