Kim Tate will tell Thea Ramsden in next week's Emmerdale episodes that Steve Marchant is her real father. The reveal comes after Kim discovered Thea was her daughter and began trying to rebuild a relationship with her.
Kim found out Thea's full name was Anthea after seeing her ID while she was in hospital. Thea initially rejected Kim's apologies after waking up, then began to soften once Kim explained why she had given her up for adoption in 2001.
Kim Tate and Thea Ramsden
The next step comes as Thea asks about her father while the two begin to reconnect. Kim then names Steve as the man Thea has been asking about, putting a second part of the family mystery on screen after the adoption reveal.
That question has been running alongside the story since Kim realised Thea was her daughter. The pair are now dealing with the practical side of a late parent-child reunion, where every answer changes the shape of what comes next.
Steve Marchant in Emmerdale
Steve was played by Paul Opacic between 1996 and 1999. The character was sent to prison for 10 years after Kim framed him over a financial fraud scheme, and it is possible Kim was pregnant with his child at the time.
That history is why some viewers have questioned the new claim. One Reddit user wrote, "I don't believe Kim is telling the truth. It is too convenient for her to claim Thea's father is a man she hasn't seen in 26 years, since setting him up to take the fall for a crime they both committed."
Other viewers have pointed to the same gap in the story. One fan wrote, "Kim’s told Mr SAS about Thea! Who’s the dad? I’m sure it’s Steve Marchant!" Another said, "Kim opening up on why she gave up Thea for adoption in 2001. But who is Thea's dad? I think it's Graham."
The reveal also feeds into a broader family history around Baby Tate, now officially named William, who was taken by his father, Joe. Kim later realised Thea was not responsible, but only after accidentally stabbing her during a tense confrontation, and Thea told police that poachers had attacked her and that Kim had come to her rescue.
For Thea, the immediate consequence is simpler: she now has another name to process while the relationship with Kim is still fragile. The story leaves one sharp issue sitting in the open — whether Kim is telling the truth about Steve at all.
