ITV Emmerdale’s Belle Dingle star shares sweet way Dingle cast celebrate soap milestone

Emmerdale viewers have seen the Dingles take centre stage in recent episodes and next week will see an emotional development for the family.

In scenes next week, the Dingles learn that head of the family, Zak Dingle, has passed away and it has been teased that a long-lost relative will make a comeback for Zak’s funeral.

Steve Halliwell, who portrayed Zak, tragically passed away last December at the age of 77. The actor had been playing the iconic Zak since 1994 and quickly became a beloved figure among viewers. Following Zak’s demise, the soap’s creators have incorporated a death storyline for the beloved actor and character.

Meanwhile on the ITV soap, viewers have seen Belle Dingle star Eden Taylor-Draper take centre stage amid a chilling abuse storyline with Tom King, played by James Chase. In an interview earlier this year, Belle star Eden, discussed her character’s storyline, where chat got onto her time on the ITV soap so far.

Emmerdale’s Belle Dingle star Eden Taylor-Draper recently shared the sweet way that the Dingles cast celebrate milestones on the iconic ITV soap ( Image: ITV)

The actress, 26, has played Belle on the hit ITV soap since 2005 and next year, in 2025, she will be celebrating 20 years in the Yorkshire village. Appearing on Lorraine earlier this year, guest host Christine Lampard asked Eden about the milestone and her celebration plans.

Eden said of her upcoming 20-year ITV soap anniversary: “I feel like, as the Dingles, we’ve kind of started this thing where when you get to a big anniversary, you get an engraved bracelet from the Dingles. So I really want, I want that bracelet!

“There’s only a few, James [Hooton, who plays Sam Dingle], Jeff [Hordley, who plays Cain Dingle], Jane [Cox, who played Lisa Dingle] had one, so I feel like I want to be in the gang, I’m nearly there!”

The ITV soap has been tackling a coercive control storyline with Belle this year ( Image: ITV)

The ITV soap has been tackling a coercive control storyline with Belle this year and fans have seen Tom isolating and manipulating his now ex partner. In recent scenes, Belle handed herself into the police after she attacked Tom with an axe in self-defence when he tried to kill her and she bravely reported his abuse.

However, in true sinister Tom style, he has deleted any evidence of his abuse on Belle and the camera footage he had of him spying on his wife. With Belle struggling to find the evidence to back up her accusations, smug Tom has been trying to make everyone believe Belle is lying about his abuse and that she’s having a breakdown.