Emmerdale viewers are convinced they have worked out who is texting Manpreet Sharma after she was seen smirking at her phone during Wednesday’s episode

Emmerdale fans are speculating that Manpreet Sharma, played by Rebecca Sarker, is on the brink of a surprise affair in the Dales.

The character first arrived in the village in 2018 and quickly became a fan favourite. Manpreet has been at the centre of several major storylines, from failed relationships to battles with panic attacks, ensuring her time in the village has been anything but dull.

Recently, it’s become apparent she’s concealing a significant secret as her phone continually receives messages from an unknown individual. Last week, Paddy (Dominic Brunt) was curious about who was messaging her.

But she swiftly concealed her device. However, during Wednesday’s episode (March 5), someone tried to contact Manpreet again. Alongside Tracy (Amy Walsh), Kerry (Laura Norton), Vanessa (Michelle Hardwick), and Victoria (Isabel Hodgins), Manpreet went to the pub.

There they toasted to Suzy (Martelle Edinborough), Amy (Natalie Ann Jamieson), and Leyla (Roxy Shahidi), who died last month. But when her phone pinged again after she sat down with her drink, she immediately stood up, told the ladies she had to leave, and smirked as she did so.

Now, fans believe they’ve figured out who’s been messaging Manpreet, suggesting a shock new affair. One person wrote on an Emmerdale Facebook fan page: “Who is messaging Manpreet..”, reports Leicestershire Live.

Among the comments, viewers suspected that the mystery man could be Billy Fletcher, given that his own wife Dawn is currently having an affair with Joe Tate. “Wonder if Billy and Manpreet carry on from before after he finds out,” one fan speculated.

Another fan responded: “Yes I think Billy is messaging Manpreet.” A fourth fan concurred: “Billy and Manpreet get it on.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm