This article contains discussion of domestic abuse, including coercive control, that some readers may find upsetting.
As if she wasn’t already having a tough year, the loss of her beloved father pushes beleaguered Belle King over the edge this week, into another psychological breakdown.
It’s no wonder the Emmerdale favourite is struggling with her ongoing mental health issues, considering the ordeal she’s suffered at the hands of her abusive husband, Tom.
After months of coercive control, sinister gas-lighting and physical aggression, Belle has finally escaped her miserable marriage.
Sadly, as Eden Taylor-Draper tells us, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of her alter ego’s problems.
“Everything she’s going through with Tom is hard enough, but Zak was such a big part of her life,” says the star, speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com.
“Also, she thought she’d kept her abuse private from her dad, [so] when she finds out he knew about it, that’s what really tips her into the breakdown. Her hallucinations and voices are all centred on Zak, she wants to get to him and find some comfort.
“A similar situation happened when her mum Lisa passed away, so Zak’s death is really triggering for her, and is what ends up making her spiral. Moments like losing a parent can shape you forever.”
There are traumatic scenes in store as the full extent of Belle’s breakdown becomes heartbreakingly apparent to her family. As vulnerable Belle reaches rock bottom, and Taylor-Draper continues to deliver the performance of a lifetime, the close-knit Dingle clan realise this is a problem they can’t solve among themselves.
The saga of Tom’s creepy coercion has been a slow burn for the soap, building from a cute courtship and fairy tale wedding before evolving into micro-manipulations and full-blown violence. It’s one of Emmerdale’s most engaging and talked-about stories in recent memory.
“Everyone here wanted to get this story right,” Taylor-Draper continues. “From the reaction we’ve had, and with the help of the charities we’ve consulted, I think we have portrayed a very accurate telling of this kind of experience, although each case is so different.
“Belle is known for being strong, but you can be the strongest person ever yet this can still happen to you. I was shocked by the statistics of how many people end up in abusive relationships and that it can take years to escape, or they may never get out.
“Tom using tech abuse has also been eye-opening, installing hidden cameras in the house, tracking her phone and being able to see every message – it’s horrific, but it goes on.”
By necessity, the plot has been, and will continue to be, distressing to watch, but the difficult subject matter has been handled truthfully, and has kept the audience on their toes with unguessable twists (who saw that axe being plunged into Tom’s back? Not him…) and innovative storytelling.
Among several format-busting tricks, including flashbacks, fantasy sequences and retelling the same scene from different perspectives, Taylor-Draper cites one particular instalment as her biggest test throughout the hard-hitting storyline.
“The episode where Belle played out different scenarios in her mind about her potential futures was one of my favourites, and was definitely the most challenging,” she shares.
“We showed what might happen if she stayed with Tom, and there was a scene where she imagined being pregnant and covered in bruises – that was awful, yet so powerful. And when Belle was hospitalised and heavily medicated and had to be pinned down on the bed, that was a lot.”
That may sound like an understatement, but Taylor-Draper is unfazed by the high-pressured demands of soap acting, having started almost 20 years ago, when she had just turned eight.
As with contemporaries such as Jack P Shepherd (Coronation Street’s David Platt) and Natalie Cassidy (EastEnders’ Sonia Fowler), soap fans have watched Taylor-Draper grow up on screen from a very young age. It’s her unique connection with the audience that has helped make Belle’s torment all the more upsetting to watch.
Tinkerbelle Lisa Dingle, as she was christened, was born in a pigsty on Christmas Day 1998, memorably to a mother who had no idea she was even pregnant.
By 2005, producers wanted to give Belle more screen time and recast the role, and Taylor-Draper arrived with bags of star quality and confidence to tackle the first big plot the character had to herself, in which she fell down a mineshaft on her seventh birthday. It was quite the entrance.
“My parents said I was so full of beans as a kid they sent me to any kind of club so I could get all my energy out,” she reflects. “I did a drama club at our local church and was in a production of Oliver Twist. There happened to be an agent in the audience who suggested I go for the Emmerdale audition, and that was it.
“I remember filming in the Woolpack on my first day and thinking Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle) was the BFG, literally the tallest man I’d ever seen in my life! Jane Cox (Lisa Dingle) had to cry in the scene and she burst into tears on cue and I was so confused, I asked if she was OK. She replied, ‘I’m fine, I’m just acting!’ and I couldn’t get my head around it!
“I enjoyed those first few years, but it probably wasn’t until I was 11 or 12 when I realised how much I loved acting and wanted to do it forever.
“I was blessed to be a Dingle and grow up with the most talented, well-mannered and kindest people. I particularly looked up to Steve Halliwell (the late actor who played Zak). He taught me to graft, and that no one is, or should be, treated differently than anybody else.
“You show up, you work hard and you’re nice to everyone. If you’re tired you still have to be up and at work for seven in the morning, there’s no slacking. As a child, it built me into a healthy routine, and I think it shaped me in terms of the kind of person I want to be and how to treat people.
“If fans wanted to talk to me, I’d always try and be polite. I learnt from Steve and the other cast members that without the fans, we wouldn’t have a show.
“My family are amazing and so normal, which kept me grounded. Growing up, I never felt different to my siblings, who weren’t in the public eye, and suppose I can’t compare my childhood to anything else as it was all I knew.”
Belle went from being Zak and Lisa’s cute, cheeky child to a troubled teenager battling some serious demons. After accidentally causing the death of school friend Gemma, Belle couldn’t cope, and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 16. It was the start of what became a defining story arc.
“I was excited and ready for the challenge when I got that story, if a little nervous,” recalls Taylor-Draper.
“So many people were on hand to help guide me through it. I’m pleased we are still exploring it today and it wasn’t forgotten about, as that wouldn’t have been realistic.
“As with the abuse plot, I’m passionate about work that hopefully makes a difference. To be given that kind of opportunity at such a young age was an honour.”
Taylor-Draper takes the responsibility of representing survivors of abuse extremely seriously, and reassures us that Belle’s fighting spirit can’t be crushed that easily, and that justice will – eventually – prevail, as she teases the upcoming climax of the storyline.
“Since Belle admitted the abuse to Charity, which felt so special to film as I’m very close to Emma Atkins (aka Charity), I’ve had a lot of messages from people saying they’ve now been able to reach out and seek help in their own situation. I’m proud of that. The audience are finding strength as Belle becomes braver.
“Baddies get their comeuppance, and the producers always had an end point in mind to show people you can get out of these kind of relationships. Obviously, it’s not going to be straightforward, and there’s still a journey to go on, but that will only make the end more rewarding.”
We can’t finish without asking if Belle will be reunited with Piper, her adorable dog who Tom pretended she’d killed to make her feel guilty, but actually rehomed behind her back. If Tom’s days are numbered, surely Piper can come out of hiding?
“I really hope we haven’t seen the last of Piper,” smiles Taylor-Draper. “Her real name is Minnie and I love her so much, as do the audience. Although, she upstages me in every single scene – when Tom trapped Belle in the holiday cottage, Piper stole the entire episode!
“But if I have to share the limelight with anyone, I’m happy to be in her shadow. She deserves it!”
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