Emmerdale fans ‘fume’ as Tom King’s sick move against Mandy Dingle is exposed
Emmerdale villain Tom King is set to continue to control his wife Belle Dingle, but things take a turn for the worse as he drags her away from her close pal Mandy
Emmerdale viewers were left up in arms after Tom King (played by James Chase) pulled a nasty stunt on Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley).
The bubbly beautician has been dropping hints to Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper) to tread carefully with her relationship with Tom. Last week, she witnessed Belle get into a fierce row with her husband during a tense dinner party.
And things have only got worse since then. During Wednesday’s episode (May 15, 2024), Tom ensured that Mandy wouldn’t interfere with his plans any further. Over the past few weeks, the newlywed has shared his excitement to start a family with his blushing bride.
Until recently, the blonde bombshell insisted she needed more time to focus on her career. But it appeared as though she gave into his plans to start trying for a baby.
Tonight, Mandy attempted to reason with Belle, cautioning her about the potential impact of her schizophrenia medication on a future baby. But when she shared her concerns with Tom, he insisted that Mandy was gaslighting her to put an end to their plans.
The tension eventually erupted into a heated argument in the Woolpack as Tom continued his efforts to isolate Belle from her loved ones. The couple entered the pub, ignoring Mandy and Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), before Belle made it clear she had no interest in speaking to Mandy, reports the Mirror.
Mandy insisted: “I was only trying to give you some advice” in an attempt to avoid conflict. “Even if it’s pessimistic and frightening? “, Belle sarcastically responded.
While Mandy and Paddy continued to defend themselves, Belle was having none of it – and Tom stood back silently as he watched the discussion grow tense by the second. Matters escalated quickly when Belle, fuming with anger, threw Mandy’s unfortunate romantic past in her face.
She compared her rocky romance to her “very strong marriage” with Tom. And it’s fair to say viewers was gobsmacked when Belle told her mate to “keep her nose out” of her business.
Taking to X – formerly known as Twitter – viewers shared their concerns online. One user sympathised: “Poor Mandy looked really hurt” meanwhile another chimed in: “Well done Tomtit – you’ve now estranged Belle and Mandy – so that plan worked perfectly especially as it makes her look like the unreasonable one.”
A third chimed in: “Belle talk to bloody DR about your meds instead of taking your frustration out on Mandy, look at Tom how his manipulated her way of thinking.” Another fan added: “Ah, poor Mandy, Belle is slowly isolating herself”.
A fifth exclaimed: “No way is Belle turning on my Mandy? Woah” as someone else vented: “Tom segregating belle from her family now. And she’s walking around blind too it all. It’s annoying! “.
A viewer remarked: “Fgs Belle! I don’t like the way she’s siding with Tom, saying they have a strong marriage”, and another fumed: “Snidey, creepy, manipulative Tom makes my blood boil! “.
In a shocking twist, one eagle-eyed fan has speculated that Tom might stoop to new lows: “My suspicious mind makes me wonder if Gaslight Tom is gonna mess with Belle’s medicines.” As the plot thickens, poor Belle’s nightmare worsens.
Next week, she’s soon pleading with Tom to seek help for his alarming actions, threatening to ditch him if he doesn’t. Belle is left heartbroken and humiliated as Tom orders her to stay home for a delivery.
His orders caused Belle to miss a poignant family event honouring her late mum, Lisa, with Lydia and Sam Dingle. The tension reaches boiling point when Belle, after enduring endless torment from Tom, finally loses her cool and attacks him in front of the whole village.
Little does she know, Tom’s already painted her as unstable to the local doc, Liam Cavanagh, showcasing his devious nature. The question on everyone’s lips: how will Belle handle the mounting pressure?
And will Mandy clock onto Tom’s vile game? Viewers will have to stay tuned to see if Belle Dingle will ever be able to escape Tom’s cruel grasp. Emmerdale airs on weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV1 or catch up on ITVX.
