As Emmerdale hurtles toward one of its most emotionally punishing whodunnit arcs in years, actress Zoe Henry has spoken candidly about the turmoil engulfing her character, Rhona Goskirk — and delivered a headline-grabbing remark that has set fans buzzing: “I don’t want to work with Jeff Hordley.”

Taken out of context, the comment sounds explosive. In truth, it perfectly captures the strange, bittersweet intersection of art, fear, and personal boundaries that defines both Rhona’s current storyline and Zoe Henry’s life behind the scenes.

A character pushed to breaking point

Rhona Goskirk has endured many storms since first appearing in the village in 2001, but few have come close to the psychological horror she faces now. What begins as a parental struggle to support April Windsor spirals into something far darker when April becomes trapped in the violent orbit of Ray Walters and Celia Daniels. The pair’s coercive control, drug trafficking, and links to modern slavery drag Rhona and Marlon into a nightmare where fear becomes constant and safety feels impossible.

Zoe Henry describes this period in Rhona’s life as one of “absolute, unrelenting panic.” Every sound in the night is a threat. Every knock on the door feels like the end. After being forced to witness Ray’s brutal attack on Dylan via a phone call orchestrated by Celia, the family’s sense of reality fractures. They are no longer simply worried parents — they are people living under siege.

This constant terror is what fuels Rhona’s increasingly erratic behaviour in the aftermath of Ray’s death. Viewers have watched her unravel, burdened by guilt, fear, and the creeping sense that survival may have required crossing a moral line she can never uncross.

The whodunnit that changes everything

Emmerdale’s upcoming special week rewinds to Ray Walters’ final hours, retelling the story through multiple perspectives. Each episode places a different suspect under the microscope — Laurel Thomas, Marlon Dingle, and Rhona herself — exposing motives that are both chilling and heartbreakingly human.

Ray’s murder is not framed as a puzzle built on clever twists, but as the inevitable collision of cruelty and desperation. Justice feels hollow when both Ray and Celia are already dead, and the community is left with questions that have no clean answers. Who ended Ray’s life? And was it murder — or survival?

For Rhona, the question cuts deepest. Zoe Henry admits that under these circumstances, her character is capable of almost anything. “When there’s no way out,” she explains, “and the safety of your children is on the line, you reach a point where you think: if I have to sacrifice myself to end this, then maybe I will.”

It’s a chilling admission — not of villainy, but of a mother’s desperation.

Fear as a weapon

One of the most disturbing aspects of Ray Walters as a character is his precision. He knows exactly where to strike. When he invokes Pierce — Rhona’s emotional Achilles’ heel — it destabilises her completely. The mention alone is enough to reduce her to panic, and Ray exploits that vulnerability without hesitation.

According to Zoe Henry, this psychological warfare is what truly defines the storyline. “He knew exactly what he was doing,” she says. “It wasn’t just violence. It was control.” That control lingers even after Ray’s death, shaping Rhona’s actions and feeding the paranoia that now surrounds her.

Fans wanted Cain — but didn’t get him

As the storyline unfolded, many viewers expected Cain Dingle to step in and dismantle Ray and Celia’s operation. After all, Cain’s reputation as the village’s ultimate enforcer makes him the obvious choice to confront a threat of this magnitude.

That expectation only intensified when fans remembered that Zoe Henry is married in real life to Jeff Hordley, the actor behind Cain Dingle. The prospect of Cain protecting Rhona felt narratively perfect — and personally poetic.

But it didn’t happen.

And that’s where Zoe’s now-infamous comment comes in.

“Professionally disappointed, personally thrilled”

Zoe Henry’s remark that she doesn’t want to work with Jeff Hordley was delivered with trademark honesty — and humour. She later clarified that while she would never question her husband’s talent, keeping their professional worlds separate is something she values deeply.

“Professionally disappointed, personally thrilled,” she admitted. “I don’t want to work with Jeff, and he doesn’t want to work with me.”

It’s not rejection — it’s protection. The storyline is emotionally brutal, and involving her real-life partner could blur boundaries that are essential when dealing with such dark material. At the same time, Zoe openly praises Jeff as a brilliant actor and acknowledges the double-edged nature of the situation: admiration mixed with a conscious decision to maintain distance.

For fans hoping for a Cain-led rescue, it may be frustrating. But creatively, it reinforces the isolation Rhona feels. She doesn’t get a saviour. She doesn’t get backup. She faces the darkness alone — and that makes the story far more unsettling.

Love, guilt, and consequences

Since 2021, Rhona and Marlon’s relationship has centred on building a blended family. That foundation is now cracking under the weight of trauma. Their shared silence, their fear of speaking out, and their failure to warn Laurel about Ray’s true nature create rifts that may never fully heal.

Zoe Henry acknowledges that Laurel’s forgiveness is far from guaranteed. “It’s the ultimate betrayal,” she says. “They loved her, but fear took over.” The emotional fallout between these women is just as devastating as the violence that came before.

A turning point for Rhona Goskirk

This storyline marks a defining chapter for Rhona. She is no longer just the village vet or a supportive partner. She is a woman shaped by terror, forced into impossible choices, and left to live with the consequences.

Whether she is ultimately revealed as Ray’s killer or not, one truth is already clear: Rhona will never be the same again.

And as Emmerdale’s whodunnit reaches its conclusion, viewers are left with a haunting question — not just about guilt or innocence, but about how far love can push a person before it becomes something darker.

In a village where everyone has a motive, Rhona’s may be the most terrifying of all: love, stripped of safety, driven to the edge.