Fans of Emmerdale have become used to seeing Paddy Kirk with a bald head, but photos show the beloved vet looked rather different with a full head of hair

Joe Crutchley Screen Time Reporter

08:47, 18 Feb 2026

Dominic Brunt playing Paddy Kirk in Emmerdale

Emmerdale’s Paddy Kirk star unrecognisable as he’s spotted with full head of hair(Image: ITV)

Fans of Emmerdale have grown accustomed to Paddy Kirk’s distinctive bald appearance, but the character sported a markedly different look in years gone by.

Paddy (Dominic Brunt) arrived on the enduring ITV drama back in 1997, taking on the role of the village’s affable veterinary surgeon. It’s safe to say he swiftly established himself as one of the programme’s most memorable and treasured personalities.

Throughout his tenure, Dominic has tackled numerous major plot lines as Paddy. From controversial romantic entanglements to the devastating death of his baby, Paddy’s journey in the Dales has been packed with emotional turmoil.

Particularly recently, as last month he became embroiled in concealing the killing of Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) following his father Bear Wolf’s (Joshua Richards) fatal attack on him.

Paddy Kirk on Emmerdale

Dominic has played Paddy for years(Image: ITV)

Subsequently, Paddy has been frantically attempting to manage the fallout whilst protecting his distressed father. Yet after Bear admitted to authorities that he killed Ray, Paddy now faces the terrifying prospect of imprisonment himself, reports the Daily Star.

However, whilst all this unfolds on screen, focus has lately shifted to a vintage photograph of Dominic sporting a full head of hair. In stark contrast to his current look, the image shows him with a complete mop of mousy brown locks rather than the familiar appearance viewers know today.

An image depicting a newlywed couple standing close together, likely at their wedding. The woman, dressed in a wedding gown and veil, is beaming with joy, while the man, wearing a suit and tie with a boutonnière, shares a warm and affectionate smile. The background is blurred, focusing the attention on the couple's expressions and their joyous union.

He looked rather different back in the day(Image: ITV)

Responding to the picture of Dominic with hair, one admirer gushed on an Emmerdale Facebook fan page: “Handsome then handsome now! Love Paddy.” Another commented: “He looks so different.” A third remarked: “Don’t remember him with hair? !” Someone else observed: “Dominic with hair wouldn’t have recognised him.”

Meanwhile, back in 2019, Dominic revealed how the soap would spray hair onto his head after he began losing his locks. However, he eventually decided to completely shave it off.

An individual with a bald head, wearing glasses and a formal suit, appears to be engaged in a conversation, possibly in a professional setting.

The actor has become a soap legend

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“I started losing my hair a little bit at the back so they used this spray but after two years I said, ‘Please, please, please can I cut my hair off?'” Dominic shared on ITV’s Lorraine at the time.

He further added: “Because there’s no dignity in spraying your hair on every morning. If they invented a pill that gave you your hair back, I would like thick, curly, Italian hair and I would grow it up and out. I would have it as big as I possibly could. But it’s not happening.”

Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX