Baby Johnny paternity secret will be exposed, says Emmerdale star Michelle Hardwick

"It will happen. I don't know when. But secrets don't stay buried for long, especially in that village," the actress told RadioTimes.com.

As for how those closest to baby Johnny will react once the truth comes out, Hardwick added: "It’s going to have a big knock-on effect for so many people in the village. Moira and James think they’re grandparents, Adam thinks he’s the dad and Victoria is bonding with the baby as his step-mum."

Viewers know that Kirin's dad Rakesh has falsified a DNA report that named his son as the biological father, changing the result so that it looked like Adam was the dad.

Once news of Vanessa's one-night stand with Adam and the resultant paternity bombshell broke, Kirin ended his relationship with her and has subsequently become involved with Belle Dingle.

But should Kirin discover what happens, could a reconciliation with Vanessa be on the cards? "There may well be, but you just don't know, do you? Because you've now got Belle to factor in as well. That relationship has taken off, so who knows?"

The more immediate concern for Vanessa though is her difficulty bonding with her premature baby. This week's episodes of Emmerdale will see Adam grow increasingly concerned by Vanessa's diffident attitude.

"We're not labelling it as post-natal depression," explained Hardwick. "What we're showing is that Vanessa is finding it difficult to bond with and love her child. He came early, she's unprepared and she's not been able to have that physical attachment. For me, as an actress, it’s been an amazing storyline and my biggest challenge yet. Especially giving birth – I’ve not had children, so I watched a lot of One Born Every Minute for research!"

And for those wondering what life behind the scenes with a newborn is like, the actress said: "I’ve now done three scenes with the real baby. He’s a tiny little thing and I love him so much. He’s gorgeous."

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's episodes of Emmerdale below.

And visit our dedicated Emmerdale page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.