Jo Stiles

Jo Stiles (previously Sugden) is the ex-wife of Andy Sugden.

Storylines
Jo Stiles arrived in the village as new receptionist at the vets' surgery and is soon noticed by the local men, especially Max King and Danny Daggert. Jo and Danny went on a date but they agreed he was far too tame for a bad girl like her.

So with no potential boyfriends on the scene, Jo settled into her job and needing somewhere to live, moved into Connelton View with Dawn Woods and her son, T.J. After seeing chemistry between her new best mate, Dawn, and former flame Danny, Jo set the pair up. However, Jo’s carefree, single life seemed attractive to Dawn so she dumped Danny. Jo’s other attempt at matchmaking also went wrong when she tried to help her lonely boss, Paddy Kirk, by inventing a chatroom girlfriend for him called Fireblade. It seemed like harmless fun until Paddy booked a ticket to Portugal to track down Fireblade. When Paddy returned with vivacious Toni Daggert (Danny's cousin) on his arm, Jo knew she wasn’t Fireblade and became desperate to stop her taking him for a ride. The joke, however, was on Jo. Paddy had guessed what she was up to and he and Toni were winding Jo up to pay her back.

Jo was happy living at Connelton View but trouble was on the horizon when Scott Windsor arrived. He tried seducing Jo but she wasn't interested but Dawn thought something was going on. Although they sorted it out, Dawn's mum, Jean Hope, evicted Jo for being behind with her rent. Feeling guilty that her mum hadn't given Jo much notice, Dawn arranged for her to move in with the Sugdens at Butlers' Farm as she knew they didn't have much money and could use Jo's rent. Jo soon developed feelings for Andy Sugden and soon persuaded him to have an affair with her behind his wife Katie's back and told Katie about it, ending the marriage after Katie said that her pregnancy scare was a false alarm. Following Katie's departure, Jo took over helping Andy run the farm and look after little Sarah. Jo carried on working at the vets' initially, but Hari Prasad sacked her as he had added items to Edna Birch's bill and Jo did the accounts. Hari didn't want her asking questions. Andy was pleased but Jo wasn't as she was now dependent on Andy for money. Money was tight as Andy had paid for his and Katie's divorce so Jo started her own business, making organic goat's cheese.

Andy and Jo got engaged, following his divorce from Katie. Andy also asked Jo to adopt Sarah and she agreed as Debbie Dingle, Sarah's mother, told Andy she wouldn't oppose it. Unfortunately, following the fire at Tenants' Cottage, Andy admitted the manslaughter of his adoptive mother, Sarah Sugden, and was sentenced to three years in prison on the day that he and Jo planned to marry so Andy asked Jo to marry him while he was in prison. Jo wasn't sure but agreed as she didn't want to disappoint Andy. While in prison, Andy made an enemy of Charlie Sellers. Charlie was released before Andy and took revenge by moving into Butlers' Farm, staying initially in the barn but soon moved into the house, threatening Andy and little Sarah every time Jo tried objecting. Not knowing what else to do, Jo told Debbie and she wanted to remove Sarah but Jo wouldn't let her. Eventually Debbie and Chas Dingle got rid of Charlie by asking a favour from a contact of theirs, the McFarlanes, a criminal family known to the Dingles. Not long after Charlie left, Andy was released on appeal and immediately called Social Services about Sarah's adoption and learned that Debbie had not returned the papers. He confronted her, reminding her that she promised not to contest the adoption but she insisted she needed more time. Unhappy, he visited his solicitor to investigate court orders that would finalise the adoption but was told that that kind of court order was rarely granted in his circumstances.

In April 2008, Terry Woods's son, T.J., was admitted to hospital with e coli and Environmental Health investigated all groceries bought by Terry, including Jo's goat cheese. The culprit was a local supermarket but Jo's business suffered and Andy insisted she sell the goats. About the same time, Debbie asked Jo for access to Sarah as Andy had always refused. On Sarah's first visit to Debbie, Andy returned early and soon realised that Jo was lying about Sarah's whereabouts. He guessed that she was with Debbie and on trying to leave so he could fetch her, Jo wouldn't let him and they ended up fighting, leaving Jo with a nasty black eye. Andy and Jo were horrified and although Andy promised it would never happen again, it did. Andy put Jo in hospital twice with broken bones. Sam Dingle and Jake Doland helped out at the farm but Andy, not wanting witnesses, sacked them but not before Sam realised Andy was hitting Jo. Sam tried to tell his family but they didn't believe him, only realising what he was saying after Sarah drew a picture of Andy and Jo. Debbie confronted Jo and Jo eventually admitted it so Debbie warned her if Sarah was harmed in any way, she would remove her.

Terrified of another beating, Jo lied that she was pregnant. The lie continued for several weeks and Andy only found out the truth just as Jo was about to leave. The situation was resolved after another fight between Andy and Jo, leading to Andy accidentally being impaled on old farm tools in the barn. Jo left him to die but returned but found Andy's brother Daz there when she returned and he called an ambulance so Andy was taken to hospital. When Jo tried to tell her story, Andy claimed that Jo had been abusing him and everyone initially believed Andy's version of events until Diane Sugden's sister, Val, made Diane realise that Jo was the one telling the truth. On Andy's discharge, he moved into the Woolpack with Diane and Victoria as Jo agreed not to call the police about the domestic violence, provided he move out and leave her alone. His ex-wife, Katie, took pity on him and gave him a job at the stables but after he started verbally abusing her for not allowing him to kiss her, she also realised Jo was telling the truth. She visited Jo and, despite their differences, comforted her but warned her that she would only be free of Andy if she left the village.

Jo ran the farm with help from her neighbours, the Naylors. Debbie and the Dingles were helping Jo make sure little Sarah was properly taken care of. Money got tighter and tighter, and the Kings lost everything, meaning ownership of the farm would revert to the bank. Various items began to break, and Andy would stop by to repair them. Jo was grateful until Lee Naylor saw Andy damaging the washing machine. A fight erupted, and it dawned on Jo that Andy had been breaking and repairing appliances to win back her trust. Jo had finally had enough and knew that he would never leave her alone all the time she lived on his farm with his daughter so on 22nd December, Jo and Lee sold the farm equipment so Jo and Sarah could get away. Just as Jo was about to leave, Mick Naylor arrived. Worried that he would tell Andy, she locked him in the barn but he begged her not to take Sarah. Following this, Jo and Sarah left in the land rover and drove out of the village. However, she left Sarah Sugden with the Dingles and texted Lee telling him where Mick was. The next day, she texted Andy telling him to go to farm to meet her so he could see what she had done.

In May 2009, while Andy and Debbie were fighting for residency of Sarah, Debbie's father, Cain Dingle, told social services about Andy's domestic abuse. Andy and Victoria denied it but Jo gave a statement about what Andy had done to her and knowing this, Andy dropped his claim for residency. Jo and Andy officially divorced that same year. Jo has not been mentioned in Emmerdale since apart from the rumour that she got engaged to her new boyfriend.