Emmerdale's Jeff Hordley reveals emotional tribute to late star Steve Haliwell airing on soap this week - including surprise guest at Zak Dingle's funeral

Emmerdale 's Jeff Hordley has revealed the emotional tribute to late star Steve Haliwell that is airing on the ITV soap this week.

The actor, who played Zak Dingle in the soap for 29-years peacefully passed away in a hospice surrounded by his family last December aged 77.

Now, Jeff, 54, who portrays Zak's son Cain Dingle, has revealed the Dingle family will come together for a poignant funeral to say goodbye to the leader of their clan.

Speaking on Wednesday's Lorraine, Jeff explained: ''It was poignant and really well written. A tribute to a dear friend Steve.

'We did have some laughs as well. He liked to joke on set, so as much as it was poignant when the cameras were rolling, we were telling stories of Steve through out the week we shot it.

'We miss him dearly, but I think it is a fitting tribute throughout the week.'

Jeff added: 'There's the typical Dingle mayhem in the funeral, which is a great tribute to the family and Steve.'

Jeff also hinted at who the mystery returning Dingle might be for Zak's funeral.

Lorraine comments: 'We shall say, there's someone that turns up at the funeral, quite unexpectedly, and I think people will be quite surprised by that.'

Jeff hints: 'I can tell you, that she is a good friend of some of us in the cast. Zoe Henry has worked with her on stage, William Ash and I have done a play with her.

'So it was really great to welcome this character to the show, and she is very very good indeed.'

Cain discovered the news of his father's passing at the end of yesterday's episode, when Moira (Natalie J Robb) revealed that Debbie (Charley Webb) had called with the update.

Moira told Cain that Zak had a lovely morning poaching, returned home, and slowly nodded off with a smile on his face.

It comes following reports that Steve left £63,000 in his will, with all the proceeds of his lengthy career going to his family.

The veteran actor had originally joined the village in 1994 and reportedly earned as much as £200,000 a year during his stint, according to The Sun .

Stars of the show can get up to £2,000 per episode but official documents reveal that the star only had £63,000 to his name.

The actor was also living at the St Helenas Caravan Park in Horsforth, near Leeds, before his death last year.

In Steve's will he left all the proceeds from his acting career including future royalties to his second wife and widow Valerie and his daughter Charlotte, 40.

Steve married Valerie in 1984 before he found fame on Emmerdale and after splitting briefly in the 1990s, reconciled and had a long marriage.

The soap actor battled alcoholism and depression during his life and believed he could be suffering with bipolar disorder but admitted he had never been officially diagnosed.

He gave a candid confession about this in his autobiography If the Cap Fits: My Rocky Road to Emmerdale.

The star entered rehab in 2003 to combat his alcohol addiction.

H e also fell in trouble with the law and at one point he was arrested for sleeping rough in an empty government building in London.

Steve shared: 'I was sent to Ashford remand prison for two weeks and then I was put on probation and sent home.'

Speaking to The Mirror in 2014, he opened about his demons, saying: 'There's depression, drinking and having to fight your way out of situations. I've lived all those things – and more.'

Steve told the TV Times: 'I can see a pattern to me leading to playing Zak. I went on a journey and it seemed to be my destiny to play this man who I understood.

'Everything the Dingles had been through, I had too – trouble with the police, fighting, being evicted. And if there were any aspects of Zak's life I hadn't lived, I knew people who had.'

Before launching his acting career, Steve was an apprentice at the cotton and paper mills in Bury, Lancashire, where he was born.

He later honed his craft at the Mountview Theatre School in Peckham, South London, of which Dame Judi Dench is the president.

Before landing his role in Emmerdale, Steve starred on shows such as Here I Stand, Heartbeat and Coronation Street.

Steve's role on Emmerdale as Zak Dingle was only meant to be temporary but he quickly became an integral character and was loved by fans of the show.

The iconic character was known for his flat cap, wellies and wax jacket and he featured in a number of dramatic storylines, including divorcing his first wife Nellie, played by Sandra Gough, and marrying Lisa, portrayed by Jane Cox.

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm