Emmerdale Debbie Dingle return ruled out as family get more sad news after Zak death

Emmerdale viewers may not see Debbie Dingle return to the ITV soap this week despite rumours.

Her comeback appeared to be ruled out on Wednesday night, with Charley Webb’s character confirming she would not head back to the village. Suggestion online had sparked theories of a return for Cain Dingle’s daughter, after a cast list hinted at the twist.

But there was more sad news following the death of icon Zak Dingle this week, as the family learned one of their own would not be attending the funeral. Zak’s grieving sons Cain and Sam Dingle headed to Scotland to bring their father home, ahead of his funeral this week.

But amid the news of a big return airing in a matter of days, fans were hopeful it would be Debbie. She’s been living with her grandfather Zak in Scotland ever since her village exit, and she hasn’t been onscreen for a while now.

Fans wanting a Debbie return will have to wait though it seems, as the character confirmed she would not be attending the service and would not be returning to the village. So it seems Debbie is not the big return airing this week despite speculation.

In a scene on Wednesday night, Cain called his wife Moira Dingle after arriving in Scotland. He shared the news that Debbie would not return home with them.

Moira was heard asking Cain: “So Debbie is not gonna go? No I know it’s her choice.” The call then broke up and Moira ended the phone call, with her relaying the sad information to her son Matty Barton.

As Matty asked: “Is Debbie not coming back for the funeral?” Moira told him: “She’s told Cain that she can’t face it, it has hit her hard.” It followed Debbie’s mother Charity Dingle being concerned for her daughter when she struggled to get in contact with her after learning of Zak’s passing.

The pair are thought to have grown closer during Zak’s time in Scotland, with him staying with her after leaving the village in recent years while he did come back to the village often. Charity commented that Debbie had been the one to find Zak, before she broke the news of his sudden and heartbreaking death to Moira, with Moira answering Debbie’s call to dad Cain.

Whether Debbie will ever return remains to be seen. Perhaps she will still make a comeback and this is a red herring, but given Debbie hasn’t returned in the past either, it does seem someone else will be the big return.