Emmerdale Moira and Ruby's 'secret link' exposed as fans make huge realisation

Emmerdale viewers were left doing a double-take after an observant fan noticed a hidden link between two popular villagers on the ITV soap.

Devoted followers of the ITV drama have been riveted to their screens in recent weeks following the arrival of Caleb Milligan's (played by Will Ash) ex-wife Ruby (Beth Cordingly) in the village. The former couple have been at loggerheads as the blonde beauty tried to reignite her romance with him.

However, the silver-haired hunk was keen to start afresh and build bridges with his estranged family, The Dingles. But one of the main villagers the blonde beauty has been clashing with is none other than fan-favourite Moira Barton (Natalie J Robb).

The pair initially got off on the wrong foot when Ruby hosted a dinner party and took offence when Moira mistakenly thought she had ordered takeaway for the family gathering. Tensions between the two have only escalated as Caleb and Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) continue their feud on the soap.

But they weren't the only ones throwing punches this week, as Ruby strategically hit Cian below the belt. This quickly led Moira to caution her that if she tried that again, the farmer would be the one to retaliate, reports the Daily Star.

Ruby's taunting over who was superior in bed Cain or Nate Robinson (portrayed by Jurell Carter) - only served to rattle Moira further. Now that Ruby seems to have patched things up with Manpreet Sharma (played by Rebecca Sarker), it looks like the blonde belle is searching for a new nemesis, and Moira appears to be the chosen one.

Interestingly enough, this isn't the first time these powerhouse actresses have shared a platform. One observant viewer pointed out that the pair have previously collaborated on another well-known soap.

A Reddit user named Big-Explanation-831 uploaded a snippet from an episode where the two soap queens go head-to-head while appearing on The Bill back in the early 2000s. Hailing from the 2004 episode, Going Native, viewers see Kerry Young (enacted by Beth) confront Andrea Dunbar (played by Natalie) accusing her of leaking stories to the media.

In stark contrast to their roles in the Dales, the duo can be seen sporting the iconic black-and-white police uniforms while on duty at the station. Matters soon escalate as blond bombshell Andrea calls her rival out for serving as a reporter under the guise of a policewoman to scoop up the latest gossip from the station.

Flabbergasted fans quickly flocked to the comments section expressing their astonishment that the ITV stars had paired up in the past. One user admitted: "I recognised and remembered Moira but never realised that Ruby and Kerry were played by the same actress."

One fan noted: "Wow they are both so young here" while another added: "Ahah that's why Ruby's been bugging me, I've not watched The Bill in years."

A third chimed in with: "Ruby Milligan and Moira Barton's origin story. They're actually in cahoots on taking down Cain and Caleb together. That would make a decent story [cry-laughing emoji]."

Meanwhile, another viewer argued: "I've just realised through watching that clip that Ruby doesn't actually have a job, she'd suit [being] a policewoman lol."

Viewers will have to keep watching to see what chaos Ruby and Moira will stir up next in the ITV Dales. Emmerdale is broadcast on weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV1 or can be caught up on ITVX.