The end is so very close for poor, long suffering Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) in Emmerdale.
And yet, it all feels so far away. At the moment, she’s still facing a charge for throwing an axe into Tom’s (James Chase) back, despite his months-long torment of her. The stress and fear is getting to her, and Tom knows it.
He has a plan to make it worse, the way he thrives is to put her in the worst state possible.
His latest trick is to sneak into Wishing Well while she’s having a bath and steal her top, which he gives to Amelia (Daisy Campbell). He then ensures Amelia parades the stolen top in front of an aghast Belle.
Actor James Chase tells Metro: ‘He knows he’s grinding her down when he knows she’s seen Amelia in her clothes. Tom deliberately takes a top of Belle’s, it’s a pale blue jumper and he has given it to Amelia.’
He thrives off sending Belle into a spin, because it’s all about winning for Tom.
James says: ‘There are things that have happened like the axe going in his back and of course he has eyewitnesses of people who saw Belle pushing him over. So he thinks he’s got a lot of ammunition against her. He wants to win and believes he still can.’
When Belle makes accusations about the top, Tom turns things around and sends her fleeing in a panic. Belle is left in a state when she learns the case against Tom has once again stalled. It feels like this nightmare will never end.
But the simple blue top ends up being Tom’s undoing, meaning in a round-about way, Belle gets him in the end.
After the interaction over the top, Amelia starts to see something is seriously amiss here and questions her boyfriend.
But Tom is not one to be questioned, and he loses his cool. He violently shoves Amelia out of the house, right into the path of Jimmy (Nick Miles) and DS Foy. With Jimmy already beginning to question his nephew, this behaviour is the nail in the coffin.
DS Foy takes Tom in for questioning and yet Tom still doesn’t think he’s finished.
‘He thinks he’s incredibly intelligent. He is intelligent. Tom is cunning, conniving and clever – and I would kind of compare him to Littlefinger from A Game of Thrones,’ James explains. But he is no match for DS Foy.
In the perfect turn of events for Belle, Tom finally receives his justice, and so does she. While James teases that there is ‘more to come’ from Tom, is Belle finally free?
