Rebecca Bakes is the English actor who plays Angelica King in Emmerdale. She took over the role in late 2009, only a few months after Angelica King was born on screen, and has grown up in the part. Angelica King is the daughter of Jimmy King and Nicola King. Rebecca Bakes received her most substantial storyline in 2024, when Angelica King admitted causing the car crash that killed Heath Hope and was sent to a secure children’s home.
Rebecca Bakes at a Glance
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Profession | Actor |
| Emmerdale character | Angelica King |
| Joined the role | 2009 |
| Character’s parents | Jimmy King and Nicola King |
| Character’s brothers | Elliot Windsor and Carl Holliday |
| Biggest storyline | The crash that killed Heath Hope |
| Current status | Still credited as Angelica King; no official departure announced as of September 9, 2026 |
The official ITV character page confirms that Angelica King is played by Rebecca Bakes. ITV’s text spells the character’s first name “Anjelica” in one sentence, but the established full name used in the program’s credits and other records is Angelica King.
Who Is Rebecca Bakes?
Rebecca Bakes is primarily known for Emmerdale. Unlike many adult cast members, she does not have a long public biography covering drama-school training, stage work or a list of roles before joining the soap. Rebecca Bakes began playing Angelica King when both she and the character were very young, so her screen career has largely unfolded within one production.
That limited record creates room for confusion. Search results may mix Rebecca Bakes with people named Rebecca Baker, with baking websites, or with Rebecca Sarker, the actor who play Manpreet Sharma in Emmerdale. Rebecca Bakes, Rebecca Baker and Rebecca Sarker are different people. The relevant result for this keyword is Rebecca Bakes, the performer associated with Angelica King.
Public sources commonly give personal details such as a birth year, but there is little first-party biographical material available to verify them. Those details are not necessary to understand her work. The clear, well-supported facts are that she joined Emmerdale in 2009 and has continued to be credited as Angelica King through the character’s childhood and teenage stories.
When Did Rebecca Bakes Join Emmerdale?
Angelica King was born on screen on August 6, 2009. The role was initially played for a short period by Sophie Firth. Rebecca Bakes took over later that year and has remained the performer most closely identified with the character.
This means Rebecca Bakes did not portray Angelica King in the birth episode itself. However, she was in the role for most of Angelica King’s infancy and all of the character’s later development. It is reasonable to describe Rebecca Bakes as having played Angelica King since 2009, provided that the brief original casting is not erased.
Rebecca Bakes was not brought in as a new teenage version of Angelica King. She grew up alongside the role, much as several other younger Emmerdale cast members have done. Her appearances were often intermittent because Angelica King spent many years as part of the King household rather than at the center of her own plots.
Who Is Angelica King?
Angelica King is the daughter of Jimmy King and Nicola King. Jimmy King is played by Nick Miles, while Nicola King is played by Nicola Wheeler. Angelica King is also the half-sister of Elliot Windsor and Carl Holliday, both of whom have been raised within the King family.
Angelica King had a dramatic start to life. She was born prematurely and experienced breathing difficulties, although she was soon well enough to leave special care. Lexi Nicholls, who was struggling after the death of her own baby, then took Angelica King to the hospital roof. The family reached Lexi Nicholls and Angelica King, and the baby was returned safely.
Another early story placed Angelica King in danger when Sally Spode pushed her stroller into the road. These incidents happened while Angelica King was an infant and were driven by adult characters’ stories. As Angelica King grew older, she was more often seen in family scenes with Jimmy King, Nicola King, Elliot Windsor and Carl Holliday.
Angelica King’s place in the family matters because Jimmy King is the longest-serving member of the original King dynasty still living in the village. Through Jimmy King, Angelica King is connected to former major characters including her uncles Matthew King and Carl King and her grandfather Tom King. Through Nicola King, Angelica King is the granddaughter of Rodney Blackstock.
Angelica King, Cathy Hope and Heath Hope’s Car Crash
Angelica King’s biggest storyline began around New Year’s Day 2024. Cathy Hope took Wendy Posner’s car so that she, her twin brother Heath Hope and Angelica King could travel to a party. None of the teenagers was legally able to drive.
Cathy Hope initially drove, but Angelica King later took the wheel. The car crashed, and Heath Hope died from his injuries. Because Cathy Hope was found in the driver’s seat after the crash, people assumed that she had been driving when it happened. Cathy Hope insisted that she was not responsible, creating a painful conflict with her grieving father, Bob Hope.
Angelica King knew the truth but did not confess immediately. Jimmy King and Nicola King gradually realized that their daughter was hiding something, and Angelica King eventually admitted that she had been driving. Her confession cleared Cathy Hope of causing the fatal collision but exposed Angelica King to prosecution.
The story marked a major change in Rebecca Bakes’ role. Angelica King was no longer simply reacting to the problems of Jimmy King and Nicola King. She had to carry the guilt of a friend’s death, face the Hope family and understand that telling the truth would have serious consequences.
Why Was Angelica King Sent Away?
Angelica King pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. In March 2024, the court sentenced her to eight months in a secure children’s home. This was a custodial sentence for a young offender, not an unexplained departure from the soap.
The sentence also created a story for Jimmy King and Nicola King. They disagreed over how to protect Angelica King while still accepting the seriousness of what she had done. Nicola King tried to prepare her daughter for custody, while both parents struggled with the knowledge that they would not be able to control what happened to Angelica King once she was inside.
Angelica King’s absence led to speculation that the role might be recast. Rebecca Bakes instead indicated that she expected to return. In a 2024 TV Times interview, Rebecca Bakes said she had known in advance that Angelica King would be revealed as the driver and described the plot as the biggest she had done. Rebecca Bakes also discussed returning to the screen after the secure-home story.
What Happened When Angelica King Returned?
Angelica King returned home in November 2024 after serving her sentence, with Rebecca Bakes still in the role. The homecoming was not presented as a complete reset. Angelica King had changed during her time away and found it difficult to settle back into ordinary family life.
Angelica King reacted badly when Nicola King suggested a return to school. Jimmy King and Nicola King also discovered that Angelica King had become involved in violence while in custody and remained deeply troubled by what she had done to Heath Hope. Those details explained why Angelica King seemed more defensive and confrontational after her release.
Angelica King also had to face Bob Hope, whose son Heath Hope had died in the crash. The scenes between Angelica King and Bob Hope addressed the part of the story that a court sentence could not resolve: the permanent consequences for Heath Hope’s family and her need to live with responsibility for what happened.
The return confirmed that the custodial story had been a temporary exit rather than a recast or permanent departure. The return also gave Rebecca Bakes an opportunity to play Angelica King as an older and more complicated character than the child viewers had previously known.
Is Rebecca Bakes Still in Emmerdale in 2026?
Rebecca Bakes remains associated with Emmerdale as Angelica King. A current Emmerdale cast guide updated in May 2026 includes Rebecca Bakes among the regular cast, and ITV continues to maintain its Angelica King character page. No official statement announcing that Rebecca Bakes has left the program was found during research for this article.
That needs one qualification: Angelica King’s appearances have been intermittent, and being listed as a cast member does not mean she appears in every week or every major King-family story. Young characters can remain part of the fictional household while spending long periods off screen.
An extended absence is therefore not enough to prove that Rebecca Bakes has quit. Unless ITV or Rebecca Bakes announces a departure, the most accurate description is that she remains the performer attached to Angelica King, even when the character is not prominent in current episodes.
Does Rebecca Bakes Have Other Acting Roles?
Rebecca Bakes is best known for Emmerdale, and no comparably prominent film, television or stage role is established in the reliable public sources reviewed for this profile. That should not be turned into a claim that she has never worked anywhere else; small, uncredited or privately staged projects may not appear in public databases.
There is also no reliable basis for publishing estimates of her earnings or net worth. A long-running television credit does not reveal an actor’s contract, pay, savings or family finances. Websites that attach precise wealth figures to young performers without disclosed evidence should not be treated as factual sources.
The same caution applies to personal information. Angelica King’s birth date, parents and siblings belong to the fictional character. Those details should not be copied into a biography as though they describe Rebecca Bakes’ real family.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who does Rebecca Bakes play in Emmerdale?
Rebecca Bakes plays Angelica King, the daughter of Jimmy King and Nicola King. She has been in the role since late 2009.
2. Was Rebecca Bakes the first Angelica King?
No. Sophie Firth briefly played Angelica King after the character’s birth in August 2009. Rebecca Bakes took over a few months later and has played the part for nearly all of Angelica King’s on-screen life.
3. Did Rebecca Bakes leave Emmerdale in 2024?
Rebecca Bakes took a temporary break when Angelica King was sentenced to eight months in a secure children’s home. She returned to the role when Angelica King came home in November 2024.
4. Why was Angelica King sent to a secure children’s home?
Angelica King pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving after admitting that she was behind the wheel in the crash that killed Heath Hope. She received an eight-month custodial sentence in March 2024.
5. Is Rebecca Bakes related to Rebecca Sarker?
No public evidence indicates that they are related. Rebecca Bakes plays Angelica King, while Rebecca Sarker plays Manpreet Sharma. Similar first names and their connection to the same soap can cause search confusion.
6. Is Rebecca Bakes still playing Angelica King in 2026?
Yes. Current cast information continues to credit Rebecca Bakes as Angelica King, and no official exit or recast has been announced as of September 9, 2026. Angelica King may still be absent from the screen for extended periods.
The Clear Picture
Rebecca Bakes is not a lifestyle baker or an alternate name for another Emmerdale actor. She is the performer who grew up playing Angelica King and remained in the role when the character moved from background family scenes into the consequences of Heath Hope’s death.
Verified information about Rebecca Bakes remains limited, so the strongest profile is centered on her documented work. As of September 2026, Rebecca Bakes is still credited as Angelica King, with no confirmed departure or recast.
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