'I'm sure dad's spirit is now in my dog'

WATERLOO ROAD STAR ADAM THOMAS STILL FEELS WATCHED OVER

- KIM CARR

WATERLOO Road star Adam Thomas believes the spirit of his late dad has taken over his pet dog Bella.

His father, 70s soul singer Dougie James, died unexpectedly in 2020. But Adam feels he’s still around thanks to puggle Bella.

He says: “My dad was very close to Bella, and I feel he is within her and looking after me.  He’s definitely around and I’m very thankful. 

“It used to irritate me because she’s my dog but every time my dad came round she would always favour him. Animals were drawn to him.

“The way Bella looks at me sometimes are the same looks my dad used to give me like, ‘You shouldn’t be doing that’ sort of thing. 

“She’s always looking at me like I’m doing something wrong and follows me everywhere.

“Bella is always there and my dad was there for me.  It’s nice to hold on to things like that.”

The former Emmerdale star also feels his grief storyline in the rebooted show – which saw his character’s wife Chlo (Katie Griffiths) die in the first episode – was sent to him from beyond the grave.

Adam, who plays student-turned-teacher Donte Charles, says: “Everything happens for a reason.

“The storyline came at the right time for me – maybe that was a message from my dad.”

The plot has been cathartic for Adam after he rebuilt his relationship with Dougie, who had been absent for much of his childhood.

The 34-year-old, whose brothers are fellow actor Ryan Thomas and Love Island’s Scott, says: “I didn’t realise how much I was grieving until I did the research into the character.