Tom King sinks to new low with Belle Dingle’s family in sickening Emmerdale abuse storyline
SPOILERS for upcoming Emmerdale episodes reveal how villain Tom King isolates wife Belle from her family.
Tom (now played by James Chase), son of Carl King (Tom Lister) made a return to the soap last year after a decade away.
Upon resurfacing in the village, Tom reconnected with former girlfriend Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) and married her earlier this year.
However, their troubled relationship is currently at the centre of a coercive control storyline.
Tom continues to take control of various aspects of Belle’s life, including now opening up a joint account for the two of them.
In scenes yet to air, Tom is furious when he finds Belle chatting to Lydia (Karen Blick) and Mandy (Lisa Riley) on the puppy cam.
Listening in to their conversation, Tom overhears the three women playfully teasing him behind his back, although unaware he is angrily listening to every word.
After Tom unexpectedly arrives home, Belle is relieved to find he is pleasant towards Mandy and Lydia, but worries whether his behaviour is genuine.
Sure enough, once Mandy and Lydia leave, Tom’s behaviour turns menacing once again.
Belle soon finds herself in a terrifying situation when Tom turns on her.
Recent scenes saw Tom and Belle at the forefront of a landmark episode for Emmerdale which explored two different sides of the same dinner party.
Tom and Belle’s relationship, as well as Marlon and Rhona’s were put under the microscope as the cracks started to show.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Impressed viewers took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to praise the ‘masterpiece’ episode.
One wrote: “What a masterpiece of an episode tonight but terrifyingly frightening too! So worried for Belle.”
Another shared: “Wow I could barely breathe through this. The realistic approach to the end of a relationship hit home so much and as for the abuse escalation. Just wow.”
A third commented: “Held my breath in fear all the way through.”
Meanwhile, others have predicted further torment for Belle at Tom’s abusive hands.
A viewer wrote: “The acting tonight was incredible. I have this awful feeling that when Belle does come forward; Tom will twist things and tell her family that she hasn’t been taking her medication for her schizophrenia.”
Emmerdale airs on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.
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