STRICTLY’S Katya Jones’ hand gestures have given away how she really feels about the ‘grope’ scandal, a body language expert has said.

Reuniting publicly for the first time since speculation kicked off, Russian dancer Katya, 35, furiously defended the opera singer on It Takes Two on Monday evening.

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It was just hours ago that Wynne, 52, revealed his “heartbreak” over the row on his BBC Radio Wales show.

The GoCompare face, who was seen with his hand around Katya‘s waist over the weekend, said it was “a stupid joke that had gone wrong”.

Now, a body language expert has shared her thoughts as Katya spoke out on the Strictly spin-off this evening, and verified his account, telling host Fleur East she “can’t bear” the fan frenzy that’s followed.

Expert Judi James told The Sun that Katya was ‘in denial,’ and revealed the ‘emphatic gestures’ that confirmed it for her.

She said: “Poor Katya has been on the Strictly sofa hot seat before, only this time the ‘denial’ demands were different as she tried to persuade us that she and current partner Wynne actually are close buddies despite their very curious body language displays on the weekend.

“With a rather awkward, chastened-looking, apologetic video tucked under their belt it would all be down to the visual proof of their claims that a shared love of playful fun made their odd body language rituals just some kind of standing joke between them.

“Katya led this ‘denial’ performance firmly and emphatically, interrupting the normal interview to address the problem head-on and dramatically.”

Judi explained what led her to this observation, as she claimed Katya’s ‘pale-lipped facial expression and tone made her look and sound close to tears.’

She continued: “Her fingers spiked with emotion and her head shook from side to side in what looked like denial and disbelief.

“She performed a double point to ‘this man’ beside her before holding onto his arm. She raised both hands in the air and crossed them more than once in an emphatic denial gesture and added a double-handed precision pinch in case anyone hadn’t got the message.”

On Wynne, Judi added: “Wynne watched her closely with an anxious, vulnerable eye expression. As Katya described what they did as a ‘bad joke’ she looked at him to take over. Wynne’s steepled thumbs suggested a desire to register status but his fingers seemed to pick nervously.

“Katya clung to his arm like a limpet, gazing at him and he patted her had in an endorsement gesture for her speech.

“And then it was all about moving on to their next routine with Katya doing some uproarious, open-mouthed laughter with her head thrown back at most things Wynne said, holding his arm and shouting about the ‘Fun fun fun!’ they were going to put into their performance this week.”

After being asked how she found their routine on Saturday, ballroom pro Katya replied: “Sorry Fleur, sorry. I will get on to dancing I promise, but can you at least let us get something out of the way that I feel overshadowed our performance for absolutely no reason.”

She then went on to fight Wynne’s corner, telling the X Factor alum that the wanted to set the record straight for viewers.

Katya said: “Quite frankly, I actually can’t bear sitting here watching this man being portrayed as someone he’s not and in fact it couldn’t be further away from the truth.

“I have to make this absolutely clear that this whole incident with the hand and the high five on Saturday night, it was an inside joke between Wynne and I. Was it a silly joke? Yes. Was it a bad joke? Yes.”

Wynne added: “Yeah, I watched it back and I can see how people may have misinterpreted it.”

Katya continued: “However it was a joke and even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is total nonsense.

“And those that have doubts, you guys have got it wrong. So, hopefully this will be the end of it and can you just keep making me smile please because my Sunday was pretty boring without you making me belly laugh.”

BBC viewers thought they’d seen Katya refusing to high-five Wynne on Saturday night – sparking rumours of a fallout.

After Strictly’s Week Four wrapped, the duo – who had performed a Tango earlier in the night – were quick to issue a video apology and insisted it was all an innocent “inside joke”.

Today, Wynne told his listeners: “I’m absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day.

“It’s not nice to live in that time, but basically Katya and I are really, really close and we’re really good friends, and on Saturday night we made a stupid joke.

“It was a stupid joke that went wrong, OK?

“We thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny.

“It was been totally misinterpreted.”

The broadcaster then gushed over his “brilliant friendship” with the Russian and added: “Everything’s on Katya’s socials. She’s talked about it.”

Despite fans demanding the pair clarify exactly what “the joke” was, Wynne didn’t explain any further.

He said: “She’s explained that it was a joke. She wasn’t offended in the least. She doesn’t feel uncomfortable.

“We’ve got a brilliant friendship, an absolutely tight friendship, and I’m sorry if anybody was offended by it, but it was a joke.

“And that’s all there is. There is no real story, really.”

PURE BANTS

Wynne was referring to the video Katya had uploaded to her social media pages this weekend.

The clip – posted shortly after the online chaos ensued – saw Katya tell fans: “Hi everyone, it’s Wynne and Katya here, we just wanted to say we were messing around in the clauditorium on Saturday night and we just want to say sorry.”

She added: “It was a silly joke.”

While Wynne echoed: “Yeah, sorry.”

Katya then hit back a second time in a another video upload.

On Sunday afternoon, Katya returned to Instagram with another message for her fans.

She said: “Happy Sunday everyone. Now, I need to make something crystal clear.

“The hand incident that happened on Sunday night was indeed a very silly inside joke.

“So even the idea that he made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in anyway is complete nonsense.

“It’s quite absurd actually.

“Now can we just focus on how brilliant he is doing and what an amazing dancer that he’s becoming.”

BAD TASTE?

The pair’s banter came after the BBC series was engulfed in a string of scandals – though there is no suggestion Katya and Wynne’s joke was inappropriate.

The findings of a probe into former Strictly professional Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour were published earlier this month.

The report upheld six out of 17 allegations against pro dancer Gio.

The BBC has now apologised to his former show partner, actress Amanda Abbington, over the programme’s bullying scandal.

It was claimed the corporation spent an eye-watering six-figure sum on the investigation.

Meanwhile, the same investigation also saw Giovanni’s fellow Italian pro Graziano Di Prima axed after allegations of “physical incidents” towards show partner Zara McDermott, 27.

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NEW YORK – A new wave of lawsuits filed Monday accuses Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping women, sexually assaulting men and molesting a 16-year-old boy.

At least six lawsuits were filed against the hip-hop mogul in federal court in Manhattan. They were filed anonymously, two by women identified as Jane Does and four by men identified as John Does.

The accusers are part of what their lawyers say is a group of more than 100 alleged victims who are in the process of taking legal action against Combs in the wake of his sex trafficking arrest last month.

Man claims Diddy molested him when he was 16

One of the John Does, a man living in North Carolina, alleges that Combs fondled his genitals when he was 16 at one of the rapper’s famous white parties in Long Island’s Hamptons in 1998.

The man alleges that during a conversation about possibly breaking into the music industry, Combs abruptly ordered the then-teen to drop his pants.

According to the man’s lawsuit, Combs explained to him that it was a rite of passage to becoming a music star, at one point asking the then-teen: “Don’t you want to break into the business?”

The man said he complied out of fear, anxiety and power imbalance he felt with Combs, only realizing later that what had happened was sexual assault.

Until Monday’s lawsuit, Combs had only been accused in civil cases and his criminal indictment of sexual activity with adults.

Combs’ lawyers and other representatives did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. When the planned lawsuits were announced Oct. 1, a lawyer said Combs “cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus.”

Combs has pleaded not guilty

Combs, 54, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges alleging he coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.

Combs’ lawyers have been trying unsuccessfully to get the Bad Boy Records founder freed on bail. He has been held at a federal jail in Brooklyn since his Sept. 16 arrest.

Two judges have concluded that Combs would be a danger to the community if he is released from the Metropolitan Detention Center, a facility that has been plagued by violence and dysfunction for years. At a bail hearing three weeks ago, a judge rejected a $50 million bail package, including home detention and electronic monitoring, after concluding that Combs was a threat to tamper with witnesses and obstruct a continuing investigation.

On Friday, an appeals court judge denied Combs’ immediate release from jail while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weighs his bail request.

“You better not tell anyone about this”

The other lawsuits filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan include allegations of rape, forced oral sex and drugging to incapacitate victims.

One of the Jane Does suing Combs alleges he raped her in a locked hotel room in 2004 after he invited her and a friend there for a party, gave them drinks and told them to snort cocaine.

The woman, a college freshman at the time, alleges Combs also forced her friend to perform oral sex on him and said he would have them both killed if they didn’t comply with his demands.

The other Jane Doe alleges Combs violently attacked and raped her in a bathroom in 2005 at a party for the late rapper Biggie Smalls’ music video, “One More Chance.”

According to the woman, Combs brought her into the bathroom to talk privately and then started kissing her unexpectedly. When she tried to pull away, she alleges, he slammed her head against the wall, causing her to fall to the floor. The woman said she tried to escape, but Combs hit her again and raped her.

Afterward, according to the woman, Combs nonchalantly adjusted his clothing and told her: “You better not tell anyone about this, or you will disappear.”

In another John Doe lawsuit, a man working as a security guard at Combs’ Hamptons white party in 2006 alleges the star gave him an alcoholic beverage that he came to believe was laced with a drug that made him feel extremely ill. The man alleges that Combs then pushed him into a van, held him down and sexually assaulted him.

In the other lawsuits filed Monday, Combs is accused of forcing a man to perform oral sex on him in the stockroom of Macy’s flagship store in Manhattan’s Herald Square in 2008 and sexually assaulting a man at a party in October 2021. The latter man, who suspects a drugged beverage left him unable to fight back, recalls multiple men assaulting him and distinctly recalls seeing Combs above him, naked, at one point during the assault, his lawsuit said.

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Strictly Come Dancing star Wynne Evans has said he is “heartbroken” by reactions to a hand incident with his partner Katya Jones on Saturday’s show (12 October).

The 52-year-old opera singer, best known for his Go Compare insurance adverts, received his highest scores of the series so far, but this was outshadowed by a furore caused by videos showing his background interactions with Jones.

After the episode, a video that showed Evans awkwardly placing his hand slowly across his professional partner’s stomach, in which Jones removed it and placed it on her hip instead, went viral on social media.

Later, a separate clip was shared from viewers who noticed that Jones refused to give Evans a high five while stood behind the show’s co-host Claudia Winkleman. Jones turned her back on Evans and seemingly rolled her eyes at the opera singer. The pair later addressed the awkwardness as they said it had been a “joke”.

“I’m absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day,” he told BBC Radio Wales on Monday (14 October).

“It’s not nice to live in that time, but basically Katya and I are really, really close and we’re really good friends, and on Saturday night we made a stupid joke.”

He explained,“It was a stupid joke that went wrong, okay, we thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny. It has been totally misinterpreted.”

Referring to social media reaction online, in which both clips have since gone viral, Evans said: “Everything’s on Katya’s socials. She’s talked about it. She’s explained that it was a joke. She wasn’t offended in the least. She doesn’t feel uncomfortable.”

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Evans praised his friendship with Jones as he added, “We’ve got a brilliant friendship, an absolutely tight friendship, and I’m sorry if anybody was offended by it, but it was a joke and yeah, that’s all there is, there is no real story, really.

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“And I feel weird apologising because I feel like I’ve not really done anything.”

The singer did not explain whether he was referring to the hand incident or the missed high fives. However, he acknowledged that he had “misjudged it” before he started his own radio show.

He said: “I’m having the best time of my life. I just don’t want this to be the bit that people remember.”

EMMERDALE will air devastating scenes as the village bids farewell to the legendary character Zak Dingle in tonight’s episode.

The actor played by Steve Halliwell had been a part of the Emmerdale drama for 29 years. Get the lowdown on his iconic on-screen family.

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Zak Dingle

Zak Dingle was the head of the Dingle family and has been portrayed by Steve Halliwell since his debut on the ITV soap.

The actor hadn’t been seen in the Yorkshire-based program for several weeks after his on-screen alter ego ignited fears for his health in early 2023.

Zak’s final scene as the beloved character was actually broadcasted on June 27, 2023, when the storyline moved Zak to Scotland to live with his Debbie Dingle.

In an episode aired on Monday, October 14, 2024 it will be revealed that the on-screen character of Zak Dingle died.

The news of Zak’s death will be delivered to his daughter-in-law Moira Dingle in a phone call from his granddaughter Debbie.

In the heartbreaking episode, fans see Moira break the news to the rest of the Dingles.

Cain was left in utter shock by her message as she relayed Debbie’s sad news.

Soap fans were also left devastated to bid a very final farewell to Emmerdale’s beloved character.

Steve Halliwell, who played the character of Zak for 29 years, died on December 15, 2023.

He was reported to have drawn his last breath peacefully, surrounded by his family, following an intense health battle.

Shortly after his passing, Steve’s loved ones issued a statement shown on ITV’s official website.

“He was making us laugh to the end”, Steve’s family said.

“The most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for, family was everything to him.”

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Steve’s loved ones paid tribute to staff at St James’s Hospital in Leeds and Wheatfield Hospice “for their love and kindness in his final days.”

“He didn’t want sadness, just to rejoice in a life well lived”, the statement also reads.

The soap star, was known for his roles in other popular soaps such as Cracker, Heartbeat and Coronation Street, leaves behind his daughter, Charlotte Halliwell.

In December 2023, Emmerdale paid tribute to Steve.

“It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that Emmerdale can confirm that Steve Halliwell, our beloved Zak Dingle, has peacefully passed away.”

“All our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones through this very difficult time, and we’d request that their privacy is respected as they grieve for his loss.”

“Steve will forever be synonymous with Emmerdale. The proud defender and head of the Dingle family. Heart and humour in all he did, it has been and always will be impossible not to smile when you think of him.”

As viewers will know, Zak’s character was the father of multiple children, who are mostly well-known in the eponymous village – Nathan, Butch, Ben, Cain, Sam, Tina and Belle Dingle.

Born to Peg and Jebediah Dingle, Zak also has five siblings – Shadrach, Albert, Zebediah, Ezra and Caleb Dingle – as well as two nieces named Chas and Mandy and a nephew called Marlon.

He made his first appearance in the show in Episode 1914 which was aired on October 20, 1994.

Zak’s love life has been nothing short of chaotic as he initially tied the knot with Nellie Lynch in 1970 before marrying Lisa Clegg and Joanie Wright.

In 2019, three years after his marriage with Joanie, Zak rekindled a romance with Lisa who passed away in May that same year.

Zak has somewhat mellowed in recent years and lives between Scotland and the village as he keeps in touch with his granddaughter Debbie.

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Shadrach Dingle

As mentioned above, Shadrach was Zak’s older brother and first appeared in the village in 2000.

Born in 1948, he was portrayed by the late Andy Devine and was once married to Faith Dingle who gave birth to a son named Cain.

Shadrach believed Cain was his son but it later transpired that his brother Zak was the father after a fling with Faith.

Faith and Shadrach then welcomed a daughter they named Chas.

Years later, it was revealed that Shadrach had fathered another daughter with Shirley Pascoe – Gennie Walker who had been adopted by fellow Dales resident Brenda Walker at an early age.

Shadrach’s picture-perfect family was destroyed by his violent drunken behaviour which left both of his children and his then-wife traumatised.

Much like Zak and other members of his family, Shadrach became involved in plenty of dramatic storylines which made him reach the status of soap legend.

His main character traits included laziness, selfishness, hypocrisy but he still managed to surprise his loved by offering them support in troubled times.

Shadrach died in July, 2010, when he drowned whilst attempting to retrieve some beer cans floating away in a river.

He also suffered from alcohol-induced liver disease.

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Faith Dingle

Played by two different actresses, Faith Dingle first rocked up Emmerdale in late 2000.

The scheming mother of Cain and Chas Dingle, Faith had some troubled times in the village as she was known for her underhanded tactics and frequent lying.

Her relationship with her children was fragile due to her abandoning them with their violent father Shadrach and she tried her best to build bridges during her years in Emmerdale.

She most notably pushed Kim Tate off a balcony and donated a whopping amount of money to help Sarah Sugden in her health battle.

In 2016, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy.

After leaving the Dales out of fear Kim would get revenge on her in 2019, Faith returned in early 2021.

One year later, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and chose not to fight it, welcoming death whilst making some last happy memories with her family.

Faith ended her life in October, 2022, ready to die on her own terms.

She drew her last breath in her son Cain’s arms, making it clear their troubled past had long been forgotten.

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Cain Dingle

Perhaps one of the most well-known Dingles, Cain has been portrayed by actor Jeff Hordley since his first appearance in March, 2000.

The ultimate Dales bad boy, Cain has tormented and beaten his way through the village, committing many crimes from kidnap to arson.

Hot-tempered and prone to physical violence, he has never shied away from a fight with his opponents and engaged in multiple feuds over the years.

His most recent rivalry was with businessman Al Chapman and ended in the death of the latter.

He was also famously embroiled in an explosive feud with the Tate family, the Dingles’ primary rivals in Emmerdale.

A local hardman, he is also the father of Debbie Dingle, Kyle Winchester, Isaac Dingle and Nate Robinson with his love life being just as tumultuous as his biological father Zak’s.

Cain has had multiple relationships and flings in Emmerdale including with his cousin Charity and late policewoman Harriet Finch.

However, he finally settled down and chose Moira Barton as his wife and the pair tied the knot in 2014.

Despite his tough exterior, Cain has shown he is ready for anything in the name of family.

In a gut-wrenching storyline, Cain supported his nephew Aaron Livesy after discovering he had been sexually abused by his father Gordon as a child.

As mentioned above, he also managed to repair his broken relationship with Faith, holding her close to him as she passed away.

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Caleb Milligan

Faith dropped a bombshell from beyond the grave in late 2022 as it was revealed, months after her death, that she’d had a secret son.

Played by former Waterloo Road star Will Ash, Caleb initially arrived in the village on Christmas Day 2022 and approached his half-sister Chas Dingle who was paying a visit to Faith’s grave.

It was then revealed that Cain already knew about Caleb’s existence as the pair had met during their younger years.

Born in 1976 while Faith was in prison, Caleb was also revealed to be the illegitimate son of Frank Tate.

Not much is known about his life prior to his time in the village but in an attempt to get his hands on the Tate family fortune, Caleb was willing to betray and dupe anybody that stood in his way.

He notably enlisted his gay son Nicky’s help for his scheme but this ended up backfiring on him.

The Dingles have learned to forgive him and he made his entry into the clan official by drinking from the family welly boot.

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Chas Dingle

Born Chastity Dingle in 1978, “Chas” first arrived in Emmerdale in 2002 dressed as a nun to celebrate her cousin Marlon’s stag night.

She is portrayed by Lucy Pargeter.

As mentioned above, she is the daughter of Faith and Shadrach Dingle and the mother of Aaron Livesy, Grace Dingle and Eve Dingle.

An Emmerdale legend, much like her brother Cain, Chas is also the former co-owner of The Woolpack and was the pub’s landlady for over a decade until she was finally forced to sell in early 2022.

She has since been the Woolpack bar manager as her cousin Charity took over ownership of the venue with her son Ryan Stocks.

Chas has been involved in many high-profile storylines in her 21 years in Emmerdale.

These include her ill-fated relationships with Carl King and Cameron Murray and being a bystander to Robert Sugden’s shooting.

She also suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder due to the accumulation of these events.

In early 2018, during her romance with Paddy Kirk, she found out she was pregnant and, despite wanting an abortion, she came round to the idea of being a mother.

Sadly, at the twenty week scan, Chas found out her baby, whom she named Grace, suffered from Bilateral renal agenesis.

Grace died in Chas’ arms shortly after her birth and, the following year, the couple welcomed their miracle baby, Eve.

Chas and Paddy have been separated for less than a year after the village vet found out she had cheated on him with the late Al Chapman.

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Belle Dingle

Tinkerbelle “Belle” Dingle was born on Christmas Day 1998 in a pigsty in Wishing Well Cottage to Zak and Lisa.

The latter had no idea she was pregnant and she is the only child of the couple.

Since 2005, Belle has been portrayed by Eden Taylor-Draper.

A quiet young child, she soon became more rebellious and played truant while asking her uncle Shadrach to cover for her.

At eight years old, Belle was tested as one of the cleverest 2% of children her age which paved the way for a promising future for her.

However, her parents’ financial woes often stood in the way of her dreams.

She became close friends with Amy Wyatt and supported her while she was pregnant with Kyle.

Her friendship with Gemma Andrews turned into a deadly rivalry as they fought over Sean Spencer’s attention.

Gemma died after being pushed by Belle and hitting her head on a rock.

Belle was sent to prison for manslaughter and her sentence was reduced to a year.

When she returned to Emmerdale, it became clear she was suffering from an ill mental health and she was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia.

After a string of failed romances, most notably with serial killer Lachlan White and a married Jamie Tate, Belle seemed to have found her prince charming in the form of Thomas King.

The pair dated during their adolescence but Tom left the village for Saudi Arabia.

He returned after a decade of absence and they rekindled their romance.

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Charity Dingle

The daughter of Zak Dingle’s cousin Obadiah and his late wife Kathleen, Charity arrived in the village in 2000, alongside Cain and her uncle Shadrach.

The trio rocked up the village to attend Butch’s funeral and Charity settled down in Emmerdale, embarking on a relationship with Chris Tate while simultaneously having an affair with his sister Zoe.

Portrayed by Emma Atkins, she is the mother of Debbie, Noah and Moses Dingle and has a long lost son, Ryan Stocks, with whom she bonded when he arrived in the village in 2018.

She is also the adoptive mother of Johnny Woodfield.

Her main storylines include finding out that Debbie, who was Paddy and Emily Kirk’s foster child, was her biological daughter, born during a one night stand with her cousin Cain when they were both teenagers.

Charity’s chaotic life in the Dales has also included a stint in prison and a past with prostitution.

During her time in the village she was not only romantically involved with Chris Tate, the father of her son Noah, but also with King patriarch Tom King, Jai Sharma, Declan Macey and Vanessa Woodfield.

In most recent months, she was married to Mackenzie Boyd but he cheated on her with Chloe Harris and fathered her baby Reuben.

Super Soap Week spoilers teased an explosive end to the love triangle for October, 2023.

EMMERDALE NEWS

Everything you need to know about Emmerdale

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Debbie Dingle

Deborah “Debbie” Dingle is the only daughter of Charity and Cain Dingle but she was initially introduced as Paddy and Emily Kirk’s foster daughter.

She is the mother of Sarah Sugden, whom she gave birth to during her adolescence, and Jack Sugden who were both fathered by Andy Sugden.

She is also the half-sister of Ryan Stocks, Nate Robinson, Noah Dingle, Kyle Winchester, Moses Dingle, Isaac Dingle and Johnny Woodfield.

Debbie has been portrayed by Charley Webb since her Emmerdale debut.

After her teen pregnancy storyline, Debbie embarked on a romantic relationship with her pal Jasmine Thomas as she feuded with her own father Cain before becoming involved with serial killer Cameron Murray.

Her daughter Sarah encountered some serious health issues which made another dramatic storyline for Debbie.

Debbie also had relationships with Pete and Ross Barton before leaving for Jersey.

When she returned, she dated Joe Tate, another ill-fated romance, and moved away to Scotland in 2019 when she found out her grandmother Lisa had left her and aunt Belle a garage.

She made a brief return to Emmerdale in late 2020 for Chas and Paddy’s wedding and was revealed to be Al Chapman’s mystery woman with whom he had been cheating on his then-girlfriend Priya Sharma.

Many fans have called for Charley Webb to reprise her role – but will she ever go through with it?

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Sam Dingle

James Hooton joined the Emmerdale line-up as Samuel Jonah Dingle in 1995 and the latter was one of the first Dingles to appear in the Dales.

Sam was introduced to viewers as the son of Zak and Nellie Dingle after his release from a young offenders institute, but this didn’t stop him from being involved in several dodgy schemes with his family over the years.

In 2005, Sam was thrown in one of his biggest storylines as he embarked on a relationship with Alice Wilson.

Alice gave birth to their son Noah in early 2006 and they tied the knot after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Sam helped Alice end her life by giving her a lethal dose of morphine and the rest of the Dingle family tried to help him cover everything up.

Since then, Sam learned to cope with being a single father and tried to move on from Alice with Rachel Breckle and Megan Macey.

But it wasn’t until he met Lydia Hart, who later became his wife, that he finally found his balance.

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Marlon Dingle

Marlon Sebastian Dingle is portrayed by Mark Charnock and is the son of Albert and Delilah Dingle.

Making his first appearance in the village in 1996, he is the brother of Eli Dingle, the husband of Rhona Goskirk and the father of April Windsor and Leo Goskirk.

Most of Marlon’s storylines have been centred around his love life, particularly in his early years in Emmerdale as he became Tricia Stokes’ widower.

During his time in the Dales, Marlon was married to Donna Windsor (2006), Laurel Thomas (2014) and Jessie Grant (2019) before eventually tying the knot with Rhona Goskirk.

He is well-known for being an outcast of the Dingle family as well as for his close friendship with Paddy Kirk.

In 2022, he was involved in a hard-hitting storyline as he suffered a horrific stroke which he has struggled to recover from since.

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Mandy Dingle

Played by Lisa Riley, Amanda Rose “Mandy” Dingle is another Dingle cousin that can’t be forgotten.

She is the daughter of Caleb and Vera-Lynn Dingle and a mother figure to Vinny Dingle who she raised as her own after his father Paul Ashdale left them.

Mandy was once married to her cousin Butch Dingle in 1998 before tying the knot with Paddy Kirk a year later – the pair have rekindled their bond in 2023 as the vet battled depression.

While she once worked as a barmaid in The Woolpack, Mandy evolved and became the owner of her beauty salon, Pampa Manda.

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Vinny Dingle

As mentioned above, Vinny (born Vincent) was raised by Mandy Dingle as her son when his father Paul Ashdale left them and nothing is known about his biological mother.

Vinny is played by Bradley Johnson and first showed up in Emmerdale in 2019.

In 2020, during lockdown, Vinny got to know Liv Flaherty as they played Animal Crossing together.

He also was able to know his father Paul but he was revealed to be abusive and died in a barn explosion in 2021.

Liv and Vinny soon began to date and tied the knot in 2022, while navigating through her asexual lifestyle.

However, their marriage ended in tragedy as Liv was crushed by a caravan in a storm.

Nellie Dingle

Zak’s ex-wife is Nellie Dingle, the mother of some of his existing and missing children on the show.

These include Nathan and Tina, and while Nathan has never appeared Tina did between 1994 and 1996 with many calls for her to return.

The duo, as well as Zak’s late children Ben and Butch Dingle who both died on the show, are the siblings of Cain, Belle and Sam.

Zebediah Dingle

Zebediah is the father of Del Dingle, Job Dingle and Lilith Dingle.

Lilith herself has sons named Luke, Matthew, Mark and Jon Dingle, and they all appeared at some point in the early 2000s.

Neither Del or Lilith are in the village.

Caleb Dingle

Up next is Caleb Dingle – father of Mandy Dingle, and partner of Vera-Lynn Dingle. He appeared in the show in 2000.

Caleb Dingle was played by actor Mike Kelly. He previously had a part in Coronation Street and played Malcolm Mostyn in Yorkshire nostalgic drama Heartbeat.

Albert Dingle

Zak’s brother Albert Dingle is married to Delilah Snr, and is the father of Marlon Dingle and former resident Eli Dingle who left in 2010.

Albert appeared between 1995 and 1997, before returning for a visit in 2004.

Bobby Knutt played Albert Dingle. The former star of The Bill and Benidorm died aged 71 in 2017.

Elvis Dingle

Elvis Dingle is the cousin of Zak and the husband of Marilyn Dingle.

The couple – who have two sons, Brando and Daniel – briefly appeared on the show in 2002 and 2004.

Other Dingle family members

It is unknown where the following family members fit in the tree: 

• Tallulah Dingle
• Dave Dingle
• Tubby Dingle
• Josiah Dingle
• Uncle Heather Dingle
• Hamish Dingle
• Maud Dingle
• Crocodile Dingle
• Wendy Dingle
• Jed Dingle
• Donald Dingle
• Cracco Dingle
• Giuseppe Dingle
• Charlene Dingle
• Mantha Dingle
• Lazarus Dingle
• Eliakim Dingle
• Nat Dingle
• Molly Dingle
• Mick Dingle
• Levi Dingle
• Goliath Dingle
• Bob Dingle 

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For five years from 2009, Miranda Hart gave her name to a sitcom about a gangly singleton that reached audiences touching 10 million. Its fans were so tickled by her confident use of old-school slapstick and user-friendly catchphrases (such fun!) that it was promoted from Radio 4 to BBC Two to BBC One. On the back of its phenomenal popularity, in 2014 Hart sold out the O2 Arena with her My, What I Call Live Show. She had arrived in the entertainment stratosphere and the world was at her feet. Yet the final words in Miranda now look prophetic: “Dearest chums, I don’t know when or if we’ll ever see each other again…”

Across most of the past decade, you can count Hart’s appearances on the fingers of one hand. She played Miss Hannigan in a West End revival of Annie in 2017. That year most of her cast gathered as pop-up entertainers in the Royal Variety Performance, and two years later all reconvened to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary at the London Palladium. In 2020, she was perfect casting as Miss Bates, the prattling spinster in Jane Austen’s Emma. Then came Covid.

But mostly, a comic actor credited with almost singlehandedly reviving the sitcom genre seemed to have withdrawn from the public eye. Where on earth did she go and where has she been?

The answer is a bombshell that comes in a moving new book. Its title – I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You – promises careful revelation. Then you get to the first paragraph: “When I collapsed, I needed answers for what to do right there and then. It was a chronic situation, but it was still a crisis. I couldn’t make myself a kale smoothie, or get to a yoga class, and I had no inclination to journal a gratitude list. I was ill and I was alone and I was debilitated.”

Hart doesn’t give a date for this collapse, but she refers to halting work “pretty soon after my first role in a Hollywood movie”. Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, was released in 2015, when she also left Call the Midwife after four series playing the bespectacled matron Chummy. Since then, Hart describes how almost every return to work has come after days, weeks, even months spent recuperating in bed. “I was so often judging whether my body was strong enough to go back, cross when it wasn’t,” she writes. “It was work that I’d pushed myself to keep going for, before I collapsed again and surrendered.”

She grew so immobilised that she was unable even to take her beloved dog Peggy – subject of a previous book published in 2016 – for proper walks. As you read on, it starts to feel miraculous that Hart ever had any career at all. She talks of a condition she labels TATT, or tired all the time, and carbon-dates the gathering lassitude, anxiety and seemingly random afflictions to her early teens. Medical consultations never gave her the answer she needed until, in 2020, she finally had a set of breakthrough blood tests that attributed her multiple symptoms to Lyme disease, probably contracted at 14 from a tick bite when, for her father’s work, the family lived in Virginia.

With a treatable diagnosis, there is a path back to health and, her fans will be hoping, comedy. Her absence has left a significant gap. No comedian, female or male, has been so taken to the nation’s bosom since Victoria Wood.

To me, as Wood’s authorised biographer, the parallel between the two women is very clear. Each of them had to live with the unique pressure of being the country’s most beloved entertainer while preserving a private identity. Like Wood’s stand-up, Hart’s sitcom both revealed and concealed. Her direct-to-camera speeches at the start of each episode of Miranda would confide in the viewer as if to a friend, and like Wood her comedy was ruthlessly confessional about body anxieties.

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But there was plenty Hart chose not to show too. Is It Just Me?, her first book published in 2012, was a guide to surviving life’s embarrassments that was selective in its disclosures. Nor is the new book a showbiz memoir, but an inspirational study in self-help in which Hart passes on the tips that helped her emerge from psychological as much as physical doldrums.

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“They’re very different people,” says Patricia Hodge, who starred in Wood’s cocktail party satire Staying In in 1989 and went on to play Miranda’s insensitive mother Penny. “Victoria was quite stentorian in her approach to her work, for all the right reasons. Miranda you have fun with. There is a lot of laughter as well as serious moments in the rehearsal room.”

Where Wood had Walters, and French and Saunders had each other, Miranda Hart had Sarah Hadland as little Stevie, the pocket blonde dynamo she treated like a rag doll. When I interviewed her in 2016, Hadland admitted that she initially doubted the comic potential of the show. “I remember when she said she wanted to push me off the stool, I was thinking, ‘What? Is this going to be funny?’ But she was incredibly clear about what she wanted to do. She made no bones about it. She wanted to make a traditional sitcom and was bucking the trend when everything was very observational, very small.”

By the time Miranda arrived, in 2009, the old-school sitcom was heading the way of a Python parrot. My Family was coming to the end of a long tenure. The critic-proof populist phenomenon that is Mrs Brown’s Boys was two years off. In her book, Hart talks of optimistically pitching “a ridiculous-sounding show to the BBC about a woman who runs a joke shop and looks to camera (when producers were advising me that was an unlikely sell)”. In fact, the tradition the show grew from just as much was American. It was in the US that – from Seinfeld to Ellen – comics played fictional versions of themselves.

Hodge hadn’t done a sitcom in years when she was asked to appear in Miranda Hart’s Joke Shop, the show’s first incarnation on Radio 4. “I didn’t know her – my limitation. We put it in front of an audience and I thought: There is something really magic about this woman. For the first and only time in my life, I dropped her a line and said, ‘Should you be doing it on TV, I’m here waiting in the wings.’” They soon discovered that both their mothers had a penchant for saying “what I call”. “She still calls me Mum Two and I call her Daughter.”

Hart peopled her sitcom with a female gang and one token male in the form of Gary, the love object and straight man played by Tom Ellis. Behind the camera she went further: her directors, producer, executive producer, floor manager were women. “I can’t imagine it would have worked as well any other way,” Hadland said.

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Miranda, tall, clumsy and terminally single, both was and wasn’t Hart. The star writes of her delight when people tell her that her alter ego “freed them to accept who they are. I was writing a character who was trying to fit into the world, who didn’t yet have the confidence to express who she truly was. I had no idea that it would resonate on the scale it did.”

Hadland recalled being “shocked that teenage girls loved it. Stevie and Miranda are not cool. We’re 40-year-old women acting like kids. It turned out that they were desperate to see someone on TV that was as awkward as they felt.”

Miranda’s demographic fanned out from there. “That age group moved down and down and down,” says Hodge, “and within two or three years it was eight-year-olds who were jumping up and down with excitement. There is no question that she reinvigorated situation comedy.” It wasn’t just the pratfalls that sold it to the very young and old. It was also the complete absence of malice, the lack of swearing and only the occasional cameo of a chocolate penis.

It now emerges from I Haven’t BeenEntirely Honest with You that the woman who seemed to have such fun entertaining the nation was privately having none at all. But the book promises redemption. In the very first episode of Miranda, her mother is seen with a megaphone and a “Bridal Sale” placard asking anyone in the street if they’ll marry her daughter. In the final special, she gets her wish when, serenaded by Heather Small and Gary Barlow, Miranda and Gary finally tie the knot.

In the book, Hart describes always trusting that she would become a comedy actor. And she has a similar hunch about love: “I had this niggling sense of, I think I will marry at 51 and that will do me well.” After many years on her own, she coyly mentions a “boy”, soon revealed to be from Bristol. Though never saying his name, she explains how they met and dated until eventually, and on the very last page, we discover that Hart and Miranda share the same happy ending.

‘I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You’ was published on 10 October by Penguin Random House