Ivy Malcolms is the biological daughter of Rhona Goskirk and her first husband Gus Malcolms, although Ivy was born to Gus' second wife Lucy Malcolms after Gus and Lucy used an embryo that Rhona and Gus created during their marriage without Rhona's permission.
Biography[]
2000s-2023: Conception[]
Ivy's story beings at some point in the mid-2000s when married couple Rhona Goskirk and Gus Malcolms underwent IVF treatment in the hopes of starting a family. However, the stress of the fertility treatment put a strain on the couple's marriage and resulted in a bitter and lengthy divorce. The embryos they created sat on ice for close to two decades.
In April 2023, Gus visited Rhona in a bid to persuade her to allow him and his second wife Lucy to use the embryos as it was their only hope of having children after failed rounds of IVF and cancer treatment that had rendered him infertile. Rhona was stunned by the request as she believed the embryos had been destroyed many years prior. A few days later, Gus returned to Emmerdale with Lucy to speak to Rhona again as he refused to give up on the possibility of having a biological child. Rhona's mother Mary wouldn't allow Gus and Lucy to guilt trip Rhona and ordered them to leave.
After thinking long and hard about what to do, Rhona phoned Gus and Lucy to let them know they could use the embryos. However, she had a change of heart and met Gus and Lucy to let them know they couldn't have the embryos after all. Gus and Lucy were devastated. They refused to take Rhona's no for an answer and instead stole Rhona's passport and forged her signature on the release forms. Subsequently, Lucy was implanted with one of Rhona and Gus' embryos in May 2023.
2023 to present: Birth and early life[]
In late-October, Rhona's husband Marlon Dingle spotted Gus and a heavily pregnant Lucy at Hotten General Hospital and realised they'd used the embryos behind Rhona's back. After stewing on what to do for a couple of weeks, Marlon told Rhona, and Rhona decided to confront them. As Rhona was confronting Gus and Lucy about stealing the embryos, Lucy went into labour 10 weeks prematurely. Rhona and Gus rushed Lucy to the hospital where she gave birth to a baby girl on 16th November 2023. However, there were complications with the birth and Lucy did not survive leaving Gus heartbroken and Rhona feeling guilty. Due to her premature birth, baby Ivy needed to spend time in the NICU. Rhona began sneaking into the hospital to see her, but when Gus discovered what she was doing, he ordered her to stay away.
Gus took Ivy home from hospital in early-December. A day later, Rhona and Mary visited Gus and Ivy with some provisions. An exhausted Gus was reluctant to let them into the house but he soon relented, and whilst Gus was sleeping, Rhona held Ivy for the first time. Mary was concerned that Rhona was getting emotionally attached to Ivy, so she made a deal with Rhona - she would help Gus with Ivy and ensure they're doing okay and in return Rhona would stay away. However, Mary soon became concerned Gus wasn't coping with looking after Ivy alone on top of his grief, so days before Christmas, she invited him and Ivy to stay at Smithy Cottage over the festive period. Marlon wasn't best pleased but Rhona was delighted to be close to Ivy.
Residences[]
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| Hotten General Hospital | 16th November 2023 to 5th December 2023 |
| 99 Murgatroyd Lane, Hotten | 5th December 2023 to 21st December 2023 |
| Smithy Cottage | 21st December 2023 to 12th February 2024 |
| 99 Murgatroyd Lane, Hotten | 12th February 2024 to 24th April 2024 |
| Smithy Cottage | 24th April 2024 to present |