Former Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden is on the mend after undergoing surgery earlier this month. In a concerning social media post on April 16, the actor shared a photo from his hospital bed, telling fans that he was “ready to go down for surgery on my knee,” the UK’s Express reported.
Although the actor initially provided few details on the procedure and what led to it, in a post-surgery update, per Digital Spy, Wolfenden told fans that he underwent the procedure to repair “[meniscus], patella tendon and cartilage damage.” He added in the Instagram Stories post, which was set to the opening theme to BBC’s Casualty, that the surgery was “all done. Took 2 hours instead of the 45 mins they initially thought.” In a follow-up, he praised the staff at the NHS, writing, “Can’t tell you how amazing everything and everyone was at Harrogate District Hospital. Thank you.” In a separate post, Wolfenden shared a photo of himself preparing to head home from the hospital with crutches and a bandaged leg, writing, “all fixed” as he thanked personal trainer Heather Scott Martin “for picking me up and playing nurse this week.”
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Wolfenden is best known for portraying David Metcalfe in the popular ITV soap opera Emmerdale. The actor starred on the show from 2006 until his exit in November 2023. Discussing his departure on This Morning, Wolfenden admitted that he was “so nervous about leaving, nearly 20 years, almost two decades. It feels like the right time, the door has been left open – they’re not killing me off, I’ve been promised. Who knows, I might be back [in the future]. Yeah, but we will see.”
While the actor’s character left the show, ultimately leaving the village to visit his ex-partner Priya Sharma and their daughter Amba Metcalfe, he was mentioned on the show just weeks ago when his family received news that David has no plans to return.
Since leaving Emmerdale, Wolfenden has gone on to appear on stage, starring as Buddy in a musical production of ELF during the Christmas season. His previous credits include Doctors, Hollyoaks: Let Loose, and The Courtroom, according to his IMDb profile.
