Emmerdale’s Eden Taylor-Draper says Belle Dingle has ‘no idea what’s coming’ in shock twist to abuse storyline
Wedding bells ring out across Emmerdale in upcoming episodes as Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) prepares to marry childhood sweetheart Tom King (James Chase).
When the couple were engaged before Christmas there was much rejoicing – after all, Tom seemed to be the perfect match for Belle and the couple seemed blissfully happy.
Viewers, though, were uneasy. We’ve seen numerous examples of Tom’s behaviour towards Belle that we’d consider to be problematic, with the most obvious being the time he aggressively pushed her after she refused his marriage proposal – leading to Belle getting a nasty cut on her head.
Belle hasn’t told anyone about this, but as the wedding approaches there are some more disturbing signs that Tom’s controlling behaviour is a pattern, rather than a one-off incident.
Eden Taylor-Draper told us that Belle is determined to ignore these red flags as she focuses on a future with Tom.
‘We have witnessed his controlling behaviour but I think Belle herself is just turning a blind eye to all that at the moment under the assumption he’s just doing it all out of love,’ she commented.
With Tom wanting to control all aspects of the wedding – including Belle’s dress and not wanting her to keep her Dingle surname – at one point there’s doubt about whether the wedding will go ahead at all. But eventually it does, and at that point the couple seem to be completely happy.
‘The vows are very heartfelt from both sides,’ Eden commented. ‘They both love each other. And the wedding vows are said with emotion. And it’s all lovely and she is so grateful.’
Things start to take on a more sinister turn pretty quickly – in fact at the wedding reception. ‘A lot happens at the reception – I won’t say what,’ Eden teased.
‘But I think that does change things a bit, as she can tell he’s getting annoyed about little things. I think she is just saying to herself it is fine, it’s fine and then right at the end of the day something happens that just makes her think, “Have I done the right thing? Is this the right man for me?”’
This is only the start of a storyline that will explore a very damaging relationship, and Eden told us she was excited for what was to come.
‘I think it is going to be a really fun year. A big year. It will be challenging but I feel ready for that challenge,’ she stated, before giving us a glimpse of how things are going to unfold.
‘Belle has no idea what is coming. Soaps can show behind the public face of a relationship. I think it’s the best thing as a viewer as you have a sneak peek behind closed doors. And actually things like this could be going on behind many closed doors to some degree.
‘Sometimes it just takes that reflection on screen to make you think again. People might recognise and see the little red flags and the aspects of controlling behaviour.’
Eden told us that, knowing what viewers know about Tom, she would want to warn her character not to marry him.
‘The audience saw the flashbacks and witnessed his controlling behaviour. Also I feel like once the viewers see the whole wedding unfold and all that happens right through to the last scene of the episode, the answer then would be probably not.’