Soap legend to leave ITV's Emmerdale after 26 years

The character first introduced on the soap when she was born in 1998
-Credit: (Image: ITV)


A beloved Emmerdale character is set to leave the Dales following a dramatic few months.

Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) has been a staple on the soap since she was born, back in 1998. As part of the well-known Dingle brood and daughter of Zak (Steve Halliwell) and Lisa (Jane Cox), Belle is well-loved by fans.

More recently, her character has been involved in some big storylines on the ITV soap, especially in the past few months. At the centre of a domestic abuse storyline, her husband Tom King, played by James Chase, has been verbally and physically abusing Belle for months.

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LeedsLive reports that as well as lashing out on her, Tom also abused her beloved dog Piper, before making Belle think the pup was dead - only for it to be alive. Fortunately, Belle ended things and revealed the truth to her family, desperate to escape Tom’s clutches. However, Tom has not made things easy for Belle, determined to never let her go.

Belle then assaulted Tom earlier this month with an axe and is now under investigation. The pair have to avoid contact but Belle breached her bail conditions this week when she suspected Tom had sent her roses following the death of Zak (Steve Halliwell).

Tom denied sending the flowers, leading to a frustrated Belle hurling the bouquet at him. Tom then reported Belle to the police for breaking her bail conditions, and she was arrested.

Before getting released, Belle was warned by the cops that if she went near Tom again she would go to prison. Later on, it became clear that her mental health has spiralled, as she was seen talking to her late dad - thinking that she could hear his voice.

Matters took an emotional turn on Thursday's episode (October 24) when Belle tried to dig up Zak's grave to get his help. A worried Sam (James Hooton) and Lydia (Karen Blick) found Belle and supported her - before agreeing to reach out to the crisis team again about her mental breakdown.

Later on, it was confirmed that Belle had left the village and had been admitted to the secure unit.

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm

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