ITV Emmerdale star addresses viewer backlash as they tease fallout to dark plot

Emmerdale’s Belle Dingle actress Eden Taylor-Draper has addressed the complaints from viewers about her ongoing abuse storyline (Image: ITV)

One Emmerdale star has addressed the recent backlash from viewers after claims the soap went “too far”.

Viewers were left fuming, even complaining to Ofcom after scenes in the ITV soap’s abuse storyline with Belle Dingle and Tom King. When things took a sinister turn and their dog Piper faced animal cruelty viewers upped the complaints, with some even switching off.

Since then the storyline has developed with Belle facing a harrowing ordeal. Tom was finally caught out recently though and faces justice for his crimes.

Now there’s some joyous news on the horizon, with an epic return confirmed for Christmas Day. Piper is back, and she will be reunited with a thrilled Belle in a “Christmas miracle”.

The last time we saw Piper was when Tom cruelly handed her over to a new family, claiming Belle was abusive towards her. He’d just ran her over on purpose before claiming to Belle that Piper had died.

These cruel scenes of violence towards Piper followed scenes months earlier, where Tom drugged her. Medicating her to make her seem sick in a grim attempt to get Belle to return home, he was shown injecting her with substance onscreen.

It was all a step too far for viewers, while bosses revealed it was an important part of the storyline, highlighting that pets living in a home where there’s abuse and violence can often face cruelty. Now, Eden has had her say on the complaints.

Asked if she expected it, she revealed to The Mirror and other press: “I think everyone’s attached to her. Because Minnie’s so great to work with and so easy, it’s been so nice that we’ve had her in so many scenes, she’s always been a part of it. Often if someone’s got a huge dog you’re not going to stick them in every scene because they’re so big or distracting or whatever.

“But Minnie’s been in so much of the journey, she’s been as much a part of it as me and James. So I kind of expected that from the viewers but it has been overwhelming how much everyone loves Piper.”

Eden also teased how the future looked for Belle, and how Piper might help her to begin to heal. She said: “I don’t think there’ll be an end-point to that journey or that healing. Speaking to the producers and the research team, everyone’s so passionate that this story doesn’t end when this side of the story ends.

“There’s a whole other world to explore with it. I guess this is the side that you don’t often see, the aftermath and the healing. I’m really proud that it’s something they’re so focused on getting right as well.

Viewers were left fuming, even complaining to Ofcom after scenes with Piper earlier this year ( Image: ITV)

“For Belle to go and speak to women’s refuges or however she deal with it, I think that’ll be great to show. So I don’t think there’ll be an end-point to that. A bit like her psychosis, that’s always going to be a part of her. Instead of it being something she feels is holding her back I think hopefully it’ll be a strength.”

She went on: “I think Piper will be a part of that journey. Piper is everything to her and I do think in a way she’s saved her from this situation. I guess it’s like her little therapy dog throughout all of it.”

On what 2025 could look like for Belle, she told us: “I think justice would be the main thing she wants, and to fully understand what she has been through and start the journey of healing and understanding and accepting that this is not on her, this is not her fault, this happened to her, she did not create this and there’s nothing wrong with her.

“I think probably just to get life back on track. Obviously Tom stopped her working so she has nothing, really. I think she needs to start from scratch and build herself back up again.”