Emmerdale is filled with heart-wrenching and at times, extremely traumatic storylines. The latest storyline involves Belle Dingle's abuse at the hands of Tom King. It's no surprise fans are hoping that Belle can escape the clutches of her evil husband, but will it be too late?
Belle isn't missing, but fans are left clueless on where she could be. Here's everything you need to know about Belle Dingle as she's forced to make a difficult decision in the latest episode of Emmerdale.
Meet Emmerdale's Belle Dingle
Played by Eden Taylor-Draper, Belle Dingle made her first on-screen appearance during a Christmas episode in 1998. However, Eden originally didn't play Belle until 2005. Belle, whose full name is Tinkerbelle Lisa Dingle (now King), is the only daughter of Zak and Lisa Dingle.
Belle was born in a hovel on Wishing Well Cottage and was delivered by friendly neighbourhood veterinarian Paddy Kirk. She didn't have the easiest life growing up and often went missing or played truant at school.
Eventually, she settled down (after many failed attempts at relationships) and married veterinarian Tom King. But her life came crashing down once again...
Tom King's abuse
Ever since Belle and Tom got married, the abuse began. Tom King, played by James Chase, has quickly become one of the most hated characters in Emmerdale. His violent outbursts and manipulative behaviour have caused Belle to become a shell of her former self.
With her family in the dark, Belle has felt trapped and isolated by Tom. In this latest episode, Belle finally emerges from Tom's grasp. However, the producers have made it very clear this dreadful storyline will continue until the end of this year.
In the most recent Emmerdale episode, we saw Tom take Belle on a "holiday" to Wales, but he planned to relocate there and further isolate his wife. Tom made sure Belle's family wasn't aware of their plans and even hid her phone so she couldn't contact anyone.
Charity Dingle became very suspicious of Tom and decided to enlist Cain to investigate the cottage in Wales. However, when they arrived the place was trashed and there was no sign of anyone around.
Emmerdale aired a flashback episode that showed what happened to Tom and Belle in that cottage. At first, the trip seemed to be going well, but all that changed when Belle discovered Tom's dastardly plans and attempted to flee. Tom used Belle's beloved dog Piper as punishment for Belle's disapproval.
When Belle found her chance to escape with Piper, she took it. Leaving Tom locked up in the cottage as he trashed the place of residence in retaliation.
Belle manages to escape on a bus and Tom is seen furious as the vehicle drives away. Will Belle go into hiding? What's next for her? It's unclear what the writers have in store.
Charity and Cain are determined to save her, offering a silver lining in the middle of this chaos. Will her family finally get Belle the help she needs or will Tom find a way to sink his claws into Belle once again?
We can only hope that the evil Tom finally gets caught and justice is served. Catch new episodes of Emmerdale on ITV in the United Kingdom. Fans can also watch the most recent episodes via the ITVX streaming platform or BritBox.
