Baby Jean witnessed many traumatic events in the first years of her life.
It isn’t easy being a baby in soapland – and Emmerdale‘s Jean Tate sure knows a thing or two about surviving dramatic events.
Played by Megan Pearson, the character was introduced in January 2003 and would remain on the soap until September 2005, when she and her mum Zoe Tate (Leah Bracknell) moved to New Zealand.
But who was she and where is she today? Here’s all you need to know about Jean Tate in Emmerdale.
Who was Jean Tate in Emmerdale?
Jean is the daughter of Zoe and Scott Windsor (Ben Freeman).
She was conceived during Zoe and Scott’s one night stand, and Jean’s mum has no recollection of having slept with Scott due to her schizophrenia. When she learned she was pregnant, she assumed she had been raped.
After considering getting an abortion, Zoe decided to carry the baby to term and give it up for adoption.
Born on 24th January 2003, Jean was named after Zoe’s late mother. Despite having found a suitable couple willing to adopt the baby, Zoe changed her mind, set on bringing up Jean alone.
Meanwhile, Scott was aware of being Jean’s father but was reluctant to tell Zoe.
Things got awkward when Zoe hired Scott’s girlfriend Chloe Atkinson (Amy Nuttall) to be Jean’s nanny. Whilst on the job, Chloe left the baby unsupervised and not strapped properly to her chair, causing Jean to fall from the kitchen table. The sitter didn’t tell Zoe about the incident.
After suffering another injury when a lamp fell on her head, the baby was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. She recovered, though Zoe was horrified to learn her daughter had a broken rib as a consequence of her first fall. Social workers launched an investigation into Zoe’s responsibilities in Jean’s injuries, ultimately leading to Scott telling the truth and claiming Jean as his own.
Syd (Nathan Gladwell) told Zoe about how Jean got her injuries in front of Chloe, who took the blame with social workers and was ultimately fired.
What happened to Jean Tate in Emmerdale?
Things didn’t get any easier for Jean after Zoe learned that Scott was the father of her child.
Off to a rocky start, Zoe gradually warmed up to Scott and agreed to give him access to Jean after he proved how much he cared about their baby. For a brief period, he even moved in with Zoe and Jean at Home Farm to spend more time with them.
Unfortunately, Zoe suffered a schizophrenic breakdown which resulted in her taking Jean and her late brother Chris’s (Peter Amory) son Joseph ‘Joe’ (Oliver Young) hostage and accidentally starting a fire. Scott temporarily took custody of Jean, allowing Zoe some time to recover.
In 2005, Zoe was determined to move to California for a fresh start, bringing Jean with her.
Zoe asked Scott to go with them, purely to stop him from starting a custody battle. When she was sure he wouldn’t challenge her, she revealed she would never marry him. Scott then attacked her, but Zoe responded by injecting him with a ketamine syringe. She took another stab at him with a second syringe right as Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) tried to stop her.
Scott survived but insisted Zoe attempted to kill him, hoping she would be sent to prison and he could take Jean.
However, Paddy spared Zoe a lengthy sentence by revealing Scott had threatened him into making sure his testimony would lock Jean away.
When the charges against Zoe were dropped, Scott held Zoe, Home Farm estate manager Callum (Andrew Whipp), Joseph and Jean hostage at gunpoint in Home Farm. Scott’s mum Viv’s (Deena Payne) intervention was crucial to stop him, as she reminded her son that his father and her ex-husband Reg Dawson (Niven Boyd) did the same and was shot dead by the police.
Scott abandoned his plan and Jean left for New Zealand later that day, bringing Jean and Joseph with her.
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Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Soaps hub.
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