Miles De Souza

Creation

Miles is the son of Donald De Souza. Although he is the only son of a millionaire, Miles has not always been close to his father. Likeable and able, he struggles with feelings of worthlessness which only feed on his personal issues, including alcoholism and depression.

Character's background

When Nicola returned to Emmerdale she told people that her husband was dead. It was eventually discovered by journalist Jasmine Thomas that her husband Donald was in fact alive and on a life support machine.

Jasmine also found that Miles was an alcoholic and would only benefit from his father's will if he stopped drinking. Nicola was trying to seek out Miles and catch him drinking, before cutting off Donald's life support. But Jasmine became determined to find Miles first and get him on the wagon. She tracked him down in a hostel, but he was still drinking and was caught in the act by Nicola and David Metcalfe. Yet despite Nicola's belief that she could let Donald die and be free to inherit the business, Jasmine took Miles to see his father, while offering him a place to stay.

Miles remained with Jasmine for a while, but became caught up in the feud between Jasmine and Nicola. After Nicola managed to get Miles back onto the bottle, Jasmine retaliated by printing the story about Nicola's husband, disgracing her. But Miles was mentioned in the article and feeling hurt and used, left Emmerdale.

Miles returned when his father unexpectedly woke up in the hospital, ruining Nicola's plan. Although Donald recognised Miles, he pretended not to recognise Nicola and Miles played along. He and his father managed to repair their relationship and Miles got his life in order, moving in with his father to protect him from Nicola, successfully avoiding alcohol and involving himself in the business, proving in time to be an asset. He also made up with Jasmine, who apologised for hurting him and brought her to visit Donald. However, he did not trust Nicola and repeatedly kept trying to persuade his father to leave her. Donald refused, as he liked Nicola's feisty side but when Miles discovered that Nicola was sleeping with David, Donald took immediate action and tried to keep the two apart. Miles himself also had something of a confrontational relationship with David, whom he disliked for hurting Jasmine so badly.

Relations with Nicola came to a head when, frightened for his father's safety when Nicola took him up to the moors, Miles rang the police to arrest her. But Donald had finally given up on his young wife and Miles was relieved when he kicked her out. He was wary when he gained a new work-colleague in Carl King, but found amusement in Carl and Matthew's feud.

Miles began to develop feelings for Jasmine and he and Debbie Dingle pretended they were a couple in an effort to make her jealous. They were successful, as Jasmine was clearly hurt when she saw them together, but honest Miles soon had a change of heart when he saw Jasmine's reaction and came clean. Jasmine confessed her own attraction to him and the two finally got together.

Departure

It was revealed in early April that Miles was to be written out of the soap. Miles became increasingly jealous of Jasmine's friendship with Jake Doland and even went as far as to warn Jake off. Jasmine resented his tactics, as well as his pressuring her to go on holiday with him to France. Adding to the burden was Donald suggesting to her that without her, Miles would fall off the wagon.

The day of the trip, Jasmine decided to stay in the village. Miles told her she was only interested in him out of pity. He begged her for another chance and said he'd take a drink if she rejected him. When she did, he took a drink. Jasmine snatched the bottle out of his hand, but told him she was done with their relationship. A brokenhearted Miles left for France alone, with it being left up to viewers whether or not he lapsed back into drink.

On 8 July, Miles returned to town for his father's birthday party. He swore he had stayed sober, and he tried to patch things up with Jasmine. She wasn't interested, and to make matters worse, Miles saw her kissing Jake. His sister Anna, who had arrived in town that day, saw him taking a drink; he claimed he was just celebrating for the occasion. She took his glass away and told him she was there for him.

As of December 2008 he has yet to have been found by his sister Anna to tell him of his father's death and of her marriage.