Amy Barton (née Wyatt) is the biological daughter of Kerry Wyatt who was fostered by Val and Eric Pollard as a teenager. Aged seventeen, Amy gave birth to her son Kyle, whom she gave up for adoption but later reformed her relationship with.
Biography[]
2010-2011: Being fostered by Pollard and Val[]
Amy Wyatt first appeared in the village of Emmerdale when her car broke down in October 2010. She faked being pregnant by stuffing a spare jumper up her top and flagging down Andy Sugden. Andy quickly realised she was faking her pregnancy but agreed to help her anyway and gave her a lift to the garage. Checking the car over, it was revealed that it would need a complete service and Amy was forced to check into the B&B. Attempting to get a discount price, she lied to the owner, telling him she was a trainee nurse. A suspicious Victoria Sugden questioned her and learnt that she was really sixteen years old, had been in foster care and had run away from home. Having no money, Victoria also tried to help Amy escape from the B&B without paying, but they were both caught by Val. Amy offered to work for the two of them in an attempt to pay them back, but later tried to escape again when the police arrived and informed Eric and Val Pollard that Amy had stolen the car she turned up in from her foster parents. Amy was driven away by her social worker.
Amy arrived back in the village shortly afterwards and visited Victoria again after running away. Needing a secret place to stay, Victoria hides Amy in the basement of the B&B. Hearing noises, Val starts to believe the B&B is haunted. When Victoria confronts Amy about the amount of noise she is making, Val overhears them. Amy begs Val to let her stay but Pollard orders her out. Amy arrived back at the B&B the following week as Val and Victoria are unpacking shopping from Val's car. She helped them to unpack and Val took her to the café where Amy reacted nervously upon seeing a policeman investigating a theft. Later, Val sees Amy waiting at a bus stop. Amy tells Val that she is going back to her Children's Home as her foster parents had split up when the husband had an affair. Val gave Amy money for taxi fare. Later, Val received a phone call from the Children's Home, she was told that Amy had locked herself in the bathroom and was refusing to come out unless Val spoke to her. After being emotionally blackmailed by Victoria, Val went to the Children's Home and Amy let her into the bathroom. Val reluctantly agreed to let Amy stay at the B&B. Val and Eric later decided to adopt Amy and were granted approval. In late 2010, Amy defended Eric and Val from Michael Feldmann when he accused his former stepfather Eric of murdering Elizabeth Pollard 17 years earlier. In the end, the autopsy proved Eric's innocence and Michael left.
2011-2012: Pregnancy and giving Kyle up for adoption[]
Amy starts working at the shop for Leyla Harding and develops feelings for David Metcalfe, who pays her attention. Amy slept with Cain Dingle and attempts to use the fact to make David jealous. He shows concern over her behavior. When Alicia Metcalfe steals five hundred pounds worth of stock, Leyla accuses Amy. David is quick to defend Amy and Alicia later admits her guilt. Amy kisses David on the cheek for his support. She thinks he reacts positively and makes further advances towards him but he lets her down gently so she runs away briefly. When she returns, she blackmails David and tells Victoria that she slept with him. Later everyone finds out that Amy has lied.
Amy, Val and Eric move into their new home at the barn conversion. Though, her happiness is short-lived as a man from her past, her former foster-brother Jared Haynes, arrives to see her. He proceeds to blackmail Amy and Zak Dingle intervenes when he thinks something is not right. Amy reveals that she has previously carried out bad deeds and makes Zak promise to keep quiet and starts paying Jared to keep quiet. Jared later reveals Amy had an affair with his father, resulting in the breakdown of his family but Zak forces Jared to leave Amy alone.
Amy then discovers that she is pregnant with Cain's baby. She tells Cain, who threatens to harm her if she does not have an abortion. Victoria convinces Amy to tell Val the truth. Amy decides to have an abortion but she is told her pregnancy is advanced for the procedure. The doctor also reveals her baby is due in December and so she threatens Belle Dingle to keep her pregnancy a secret from Cain. Amy goes into labour and gives birth to a baby boy in the church graveyard on 1st December 2011. She thinks her baby is dead when he does not move or make a sound. Amy panics and wraps him up in her jumper, before placing him in a telephone box. She then goes to David and tells him what happened. Meanwhile, Hazel Rhodes finds the baby and calls the ambulance while trying to make him breathe and cry. David learns that Hazel has found the baby and he has been taken to hospital so he calls an ambulance for Amy. Amy is unhappy when she learns that David has also called Eric and Val. At the hospital she apologises to Eric and Val for keeping her pregnancy a secret. They call the baby Kyle after the nurse who looks after him, Kylie. Amy takes the baby home but Val takes over, much to Eric and Amy's unhappiness. Amy tries to look after Kyle and puts him in the bath but accidentally almost drowns him so Val takes over again. Amy realises that she can't look after Kyle properly and calls Social Services to come and collect him, planning to have him adopted as she doesn't want him going from one foster home to another, as she did. Val wants to keep Kyle and starts putting pressure on Amy, hoping she will change her mind. This causes a rift between Amy and Val but Eric and Amy to become closer. Amy does give Kyle up for adoption and Val is extremely hurt and disappointed, blaming Eric for backing Amy's decision.
2012-2013: Reuniting with Kerry and relationship with Andy[]
To be added
2013: Kidnapping Kyle and fleeing to Ireland[]
In August 2013, Amy learned Kyle's adoptive parents Tom and Karen Winchester had died. Amy decided to attend Tom and Karen's funeral where she saw Kyle with his adoptive grandmother, and guardian, Joanie Wright. Amy claimed to be a friend of Tom and Karen's and began babysitting Kyle, however, when Joanie discovered Amy was Kyle's birth mother, she barred Amy for any further contact with Kyle.
Joanie eventually agreed to let Amy see Kyle again after some persuasion for Eric, however contact ceased once again when Kyle fell in a river and nearly died due to Amy's negligence. Afterward, Amy decided to try to gain custody of Kyle despite the fact she had no legal rights to him. A furious Joanie made it clear to Amy that she didn't have a hope in hell of ever gaining custody of Kyle which was confirmed a few weeks later by social services. Joanie soon grew tired of dealing Amy and after Amy tried to force her way into Joanie's home, Joanie served her with a harassment warning. Unable to accept she wouldn't be able to see Kyle anymore, Amy and Kerry paid Joanie a visit in an attempt to talk her around which resulted in both Amy and Kerry being arrested and Joanie taking out a restraining order.
With Joanie refusing to allow Amy to have any access to Kyle and Amy having no legal rights to him, Amy kidnapped Kyle from his playgroup and planned to flee to Ireland with him using Andy's son Jack's passport. Cain realised what Amy was doing so he raced to the port and managed to talk Amy out of taking Kyle on the run although Amy got on the ferry and sailed away to a new life in Ireland.
2019 to present: Return to Emmerdale[]
In March 2019, Kerry travelled to Belfast to find Amy. Kerry tracked Amy down to a rough area of the city and told her she needed to come back to Emmerdale for Kyle. Amy was shocked to learn that Joanie was dead and Kyle was in Cain's care and that Cain was facing murder charges for the "death" of Joe Tate. Kerry tried to persuade Amy to come back to Emmerdale to look after Kyle, however, Amy declared she didn't want to be Kyle's mum then walked away. The following day, Amy tells Kerry she couldn't stop thinking Kyle - she gave him up so he can have better but if he's not getting that then she needs to do something. The villagers are stunned to find Amy in the village and Cain's relatives warn her that she has no legal rights to Kyle, but Amy is determined. Amy is adamant she's going to see Kyle whether Cain likes it or not. Cain's mother, Faith Dingle, soon have Amy arrested for kidnap in means to keep her from snatching away Kyle. However, Eric, who was delighted to have Amy back, stating she was like a daughter to him, helped get her off and she told Cain that if he wanted a fight he'd get one.
In late March, Amy walks up to Cain and Moira at the garage and demands to see Kyle, suggesting it's about time he's told she's his mum. Cain agrees so long as Amy goes about it properly. On 1st April 2019, Amy picks Kyle up with the intent of telling him. She reads him a book about adoption then shows him a picture of her holding him as a baby. With some encouragement from Eric, Amy breaks the news to Kyle to that she's his birth mother. She is delighted when he is okay with it and agrees to spend more time together, giving her a hug. Cain starts to gradually let Kyle spend more and more time with Amy and they grow closer.
In July 2019, Karen, an old an acquaintance of Amy who she stole money from in Belfast, arrived in the village, demanding £4,000 back from Amy by tomorrow or she'll go to the police. It turns out that Amy had lived with a man named Dylan who soon began racking up debts which were all in her name. After Dylan legged it, Amy had stolen Karen's money to pay off her loan sharks and then also legged it. Kerry, desperate to help her daughter get the money, robs the sweet factory on 1st August 2019. Kerry convinces Amy to go along with it and they were thus responsible for the fire and subsequent explosion that killed Frank Clayton at the sweet factory after destroying the CCTV to cover up stealing from the safe. Later, Amy meets Karen at the Cricket Pavilion and uses the charity money to pay off her debts but she was filled with guilt for what she and Kerry had done to Frank and the grief they'd cause his daughters Tracy and Vanessa.
In October 2019, Tracy found out that Amy and Kerry were the ones responsible for her father's death. When Tracy decided to leave to reveal the truth, Kerry and Amy tried to stop her, leading to Tracy shoving Kerry who fell and hit her head on a rock. Kerry was taken to hospital were she made a full recovery. Amy and Kerry were able to use the incident to their advantage by threatening to tell the police that Tracy was responsible for Kerry's injuries if she told the police that they had started the fire at the factory. All parties tried to move on with their lives but Tracy and Vanessa cut all ties with Kerry and Amy.
Background information[]
- Actress Chelsea Halfpenny decided to quit the role in 2013.
Quotes[]
"No way. Come on, you're not doing this to me!" - First line.
"There's nothing to stay for now." - Final line spoken by Chelsea Halfpenny as Amy.
"Mam?!" - First audible line spoken by Natalie Jamieson as Amy.