RESIDES: Greenview Cottage, Glendale
OCCUPATION: Partner at Atkins & Williams Law Firm
MARITAL STATUS: Married to Marion Atkins
PREVIOUS MARRIAGES: Unknown
PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: Dawn Baptiste
CHILDREN: Samantha Carter, Lee Atkins and Jasmine Atkins
GRANDCHILDREN: Gracie Carter
FATHER: Winston Atkins (deceased)
MOTHER: Winifred ‘Winnie’ Atkins
SIBLINGS: Yvonne Daly (née Atkins)
NOTABLE RELATIVES: Lewis Carter (son-in-law), Trevor Daly (brother-in-law), Louise Bailey (mother-in-law), Howard Bailey (brother-in-law)

BIOGRAPHY: Born in Luton, Ed’s life changed course the moment he met Marion at university. Their relationship unfolded quickly, and before long they were married, had started new careers, and had settled in Glendale to build a future together. More than three decades later, Ed is widely regarded as a pillar of the community.

But in December 2023, everything Ed thought he had built began to shift. A young woman named Samantha Carter contacted him, claiming to be his daughter from a high-school relationship with Dawn Baptiste. DNA tests confirmed the truth – Samantha was his child. Though the revelation shook him, Ed began quietly cultivating a relationship with her. Yet instead of being honest with Marion, he chose secrecy. He hid Samantha in the shadows, travelling regularly to London to visit her, her husband Lewis, and their six-year-old daughter, Gracie – whom Ed quickly grew to adore.

That fragile secrecy crumbled in September 2024 when Samantha appeared unannounced on Ed and Marion’s doorstep, revealing the truth he had refused to share.

Since then, Ed’s two families have learnt to coexist, but the damage to his marriage has been profound. The breach of trust deepened even further when Marion discovered that Ed had secretly taken out a second mortgage to buy the old haberdashery and launch a law firm with Rebecca Williams. The combined weight of hidden debts, concealed relationships, and months of lies has all but destroyed the trust between them.

Now, Ed and Marion’s marriage stands perilously close to collapse. Can they pull it back from the precipice, or will one more secret tip them over the edge?