Belle’s love triangle explodes!
Emmerdale’s Eden Taylor-draper discusses Belle’s battle with her feelings – and her love rival...
The Dingles have been banging heads with the Tates since before young Belle Dingle was a naughty twinkle in dad Zak’s eye – and whenever they do, things tend to end badly! Belle is one of the more sensible members of the Dingle family, and she might once have had the wisdom to steer clear of the clan from the big house. But now she’s gone and embarked on forbidden passion with married Jamie Tate that’s destined to bring tragedy and heartbreak to those around them. And this week, it all kicks off as Jamie’s wife, Andrea, uncovers Belle’s betrayal…
“Belle and Jamie want to do the right thing, although their attraction to each other means they just can’t stop themselves,” gasps Inside Soap favourite Eden Taylor-draper (who plays Belle) as we grab her for a chat about the tricky situation. “There’s always been a spark between Belle and Jamie, but now Belle knows Jamie truly wants her. It’s a constant cycle of ‘we shouldn’t be doing this… but we really want to’!”
Sadly for Belle, the fact that Jamie has a wife and child means she and her secret lover can’t be together right now. Given the hard time she gave dad Zak about cheating on mum Lisa with her friend Joanie, is Belle feeling like a bit of a hypocrite right now?
“There’s definitely guilt there, and morally Belle questions it because of the Zak situation,” admits Eden.
“I do think Belle would feel very guilty if her dad or Cain or Charity found out – they’d have a lot to say about it. So I think that’s why Belle is happy to keep it secret right now, because she knows what could happen if it got out. Although the thing with the Dingles is that they’ve all done something dodgy in their lives!
“However, Jamie is constantly making out that he and Andrea are totally done and that they are only together because of Millie,” she adds. “So that makes it easier for Belle.”
Things are a little too close to home this week, as Belle is asked to babysit Jamie’s daughter Millie, and spending time with the little’un brings home the harsh reality of the situation to Belle. Is she really ready to be a stepmother?
“Oh, gosh, I don’t think that’s even crossed her mind before, as she’s never really hung out with Millie,” muses Eden. “It’d be interesting to see because Belle hasn’t really thought about it. Jamie has a lot of baggage, but Belle’s fallen for him completely. On the one hand, she’d love to have the opportunity to be with the man she loves, although then there’s Kim, Millie, Andrea and the Dingles.”
But didn’t Belle have the perfect fella in reliable Ellis? Sadly, Eden reckons the spark just wasn’t there…
Being Millie’s stepmum hasn’t even crossed Belle’s mind!
“I mean, Ellis was a safe option – he’s nice, he loved Belle, he wanted to be with her, but I think she just found him a bit dull!” laughs the actress, who has been with real-life boyfriend Ed Lewis for four years.
“She liked him when she was with him, but I don’t think she was excited by him. It’s a completely different story when she’s with Jamie.”
The problem with secrets in soapland is that they never stay buried for long. And as Andrea discovers what’s going on, the stage is now set for a big battle – but does Eden rate Belle’s chances of winning the war?
“Both Andrea and Belle want to fight for their man, and I think it could get nasty!” warns Eden. “But don’t forget, Belle is a Dingle, so
I think she’d win! Andrea definitely has a nasty streak, although I feel Belle would be up
for that challenge…”