EMMERDALE COUPLE'S SPLIT 'CONFIRMED' AS TWO STARS HINT AT NEW AFFAIR
A new romance could be brewing in the Dales this Christmas, but not everyone will be happy.
Fans of the ITV soap are convinced Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) and Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) will spend a romantic Christmas together despite his relationship with Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley).
Speaking ahead of the festive episodes, Ned Porteus has confirmed that his character, Joe, will be kicked out of Home Farm and forced to spend time somewhere "different".
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It appears businessman Joe will not be eating turkey with his girlfriend, Dawn, and her children.
Ned explains: "Joe is basically ousted from the house by Kim Tate, because she's so cross, because of what he has done to her horse. So it’s going to be a different Christmas for Joe.
"I think he's probably gutted about the fact he's annoyed Kim. But at the time he believed he was doing the right thing, as Joe always does. Let's just hope that he can win her around in the New Year."
He added, "So Christmas is a strange one for Joe. Not only does he end up spending it somewhere a little different this year, that’s a tease as he’s out of his comfort zone for sure, but this Christmas, there is also a nice, happy piece of news for him."
Meanwhile, Eden Taylor-Draper has also teased a "different" Christmas celebration for her character Belle.
She added: "Christmas is a random one for the Dingles this year, and I don’t think Belle ends up spending Christmas, which is also of course her birthday, with people she expected to spend Christmas with."
Eden also teased the arrival of other guests on Christmas Day, adding: "She spends it with Sam and Lydia, but are there some random late comers?"
Emmerdale fans are now convinced Joe and Belle will end up spending Christmas Day together, with romance on the cards, but the rest of the Dingle family will not be impressed, as Joe is an enemy of the clan.
Taking to Reddit, one person explained: "I think Joe and Belle could be a really good dynamic. It would be too soon for them to be getting together this Christmas - we need to see his relationship with Dawn starting to break down first - but they could be sowing the seeds. Can you imagine Cain’s reactions - first Debbie, now Belle."
A second pointed out: "And the fact that Joe’s dad was married to Charity at one point!"
A third chimed in: "No, but if they do get together, how would the rest of the family feel about it, and I think Joe is jealous of the Dingles because he doesn’t have that close family unit", suggested one fan.
"It would be good to have a good old affair storyline, but I feel they've done it too many times with Belle. I would just like her to be in a relationship with a good guy", added another.
Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX
2025-12-10T18:07:08Z