BELLE Dingle was stunned when her former flame Tom King resurfaced in the Dales.
However, he failed to announce his return to Emmerdale to his own family. His uncle Jimmy is shocked to bump into him next week.
Belle Dingle was reunited with her former boyfriend Tom King
But nobody in his family knows he has returned
She finds herself stuck in the middle next week
After a decade spent abroad, Tom King (portrayed by newcomer James Chase) came back to the eponymous ITV village to work as a vet.
This left Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) reeling as she hadn’t seen her former boyfriend since their failed attempt at fleeing from their respective families and the hostility they displayed towards their relationship.
However, while Belle is aware Tom is back in Yorkshire, his own family members haven’t been told he’s returned.
Belle keeps Tom’s secret and is guarded when Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) clues in to the fact that she’s finally seeing someone new, a year after Ellis Chapman’s exit.
Later on, at The Hide café, an excited Belle meets up with Tom as they rekindle their romance slowly, but she pleads with him to reach out to his family and stop keeping them in the dark.
The following day, Tom struggles with his unresolved grief over his father Carl, who was killed after he’d tried to rape Chas Dingle.
An awkward reunion ensues when Jimmy (Nick Miles) and Nicola bump into him at The Hide.
Prickly Jimmy can’t hide his hurt at the thought of Tom avoiding him and Belle continues to worry about his reticence.
As mentioned above, Tom left the village in 2013 for Saudi Arabia, where his mother had settled down.
Prior to his departure, he had tried to overcome the death of his father Carl but his grief consumed him and he stalked Chas (Lucy Pargeter).
Tom thus received the wrath of the Dingle family – which didn’t stop his relationship with Belle Dingle from blossoming.
While the Kings may be happy to see him, will the Dingles be able to turn over a new leaf after Tom’s deeds?
What’s in store for Tom and Belle?
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.
An awkward reunion takes place in The Hide next week
What’s in store for Belle and Tom?
