Who was Maya Stepney in Emmerdale and what happened to her?

17 June 2021, 09:02

Where is Emmerdale's Maya Stepney and is she dead? Here's what we know...

Maya Stepney became one of the most infamous villains in Emmerdale history after she abused then 15-year-old Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant).

The character - played by Louisa Clein - made her debut in March 2018 and left in November the following year.

But who was Maya Stepney and what happened to her? Here’s what we know…

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Who was Maya Stepney in Emmerdale?

Maya is the abusive teacher who groomed Jacob Gallagher after they met while he was in her class at school.

She then started a sexual relationship with the schoolboy, which carried on for months before her abuse was discovered by Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh), Priya Kotecha (Fiona Wade) and Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi).

The story finally came to an end when Maya was arrested and Jacob was questioned by the police.

Emmerdale’s Louisa Clein hits back at negative comments about Maya Stepney’s grooming storyline

What happened to Maya Stepney in Emmerdale?

Maya was put on trial in June 2019 and later found guilty of exchanging inappropriate text messages with a minor.

In court, she pretended that she hadn’t slept with Jacob, instead saying that she and Jacob had only sent texts.

She was sentenced to a year in prison, with Jacob left devastated.

The teen didn’t realise he was abused and continued to send letters to Maya in jail.

Show boss Kate Brooks told Metro.co.uk at the time: "We’ve got a responsibility.

"A lot of people watch the show, a lot of teenagers watch the show, and also we would never just tell one of these stories lightly, we have a duty to make sure the right protocol is carried out, and the right outcome."

In the same year, the former school teacher was released early after just five months and it was revealed she was pregnant.

Maya gave birth to a baby boy and left it outside David (Matthew Wolfenden) and Jacob's house on Christmas Day with a note asking them to look after him before leaving the country.

In January 2020, David was proven to be the father by a DNA test.

He contacted Social Services who tracked Maya down and she said she was happy for her baby to stay with her ex.