ITV Emmerdale's Sam Dingle labelled a 'DILF' as he shows off impressive abs

Emmerdale viewers were left over the moon as fan-favourite character Vanessa Woodfield (played by Michelle Hardwick) made her surprise return to the ITV soap tonight. Yet while many were incredibly excited to see the loveable villager back on screens after actress Michelle took a year off for her maternity leave, it was under dramatic circumstances. Rhona Goskirk (played by Zoe Henry) called up her best friend, who has been living in Canada with her son Johnny, and desperately asked her to fly home in her hour of need.

Emmerdale is gearing up to welcome back one of the ITV soap's biggest icons in a surprise twist on Belle Dingle's (played by Eden Taylor-Draper) highly-anticipated wedding day extravaganza. The villagers have been preparing for the big day for weeks now, and after Olympic ice skating champions Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean helped Belle propose to her beau Tom King (James Chase), fans knew the soap would pull out all the stops. The most recent instalment saw the couple celebrate a "Sten", their Stag and Hen dos, to varying success as Tom accidentally glimpsed Belle's wedding dress.

Stacey Solomon has shared her happiness as she marked nine months of working out, having found a love for exercise last year and started regularly hitting the gym. The Loose Women panellist, 34, has been open about her fitness journey online, which began shortly after she welcomed her fifth child Belle in February 2023. Stacey has been working out at her home gym at Pickle Cottage and also occasionally exercises with her sister Samantha Stone, who works at Barry's Bootcamp in Essex.The mum-of-five proudly marked nine months of consistent exercising on 6 February, admitting she's "so proud" of herself and is "buzzing" with her results.

Emmerdale's Nicola King, played by Nicola Wheeler, has been at the heart of some major soap dramas. But away from the cameras, her life is quite different. Known for her bold and outspoken character on screen, she recently faced backlash from fans after a controversial storyline involving her daughter Angelica's shocking New Year's Eve confession.

Lisa Riley has impressed fans with her incredible 12stone weight loss journey after she gave up junk food and embraced a healthier lifestyle.

could make desert alien princess dressing look so right on the red carpet. She’s certainly been doing her stylist Law Roach proud on the Dune 2 press tour.

Beth Cordingly made her Emmerdale debut just days ago, as she joined the cast as newcomer Ruby Fox-Milligan. Now she's revealed her off-screen relationship with soap legend Ian Kelsey. Beth, 47, has been in a relationship with Ian, 57, since 2021, and now says she is "very happy" and "so in love." Like his partner, Ian also had his own stint in the Yorkshire-based soap, when he appeared as Dave Glover from 1994 until he was killed off in 1997.

Emmerdale's David Metcalfe actor Matthew Wolfenden has revealed that he has received numerous 'horrible messages' and 'nasty' encounters after splitting from his wife Charley Webb in September.The 43-year-old actor's split was announced via social media by Debbie Dingle actress Charley, 35, in November, as she shared: "It is with love and respect that Matthew and I have decided to separate. We remain friends and our priority is the love for our children. For their sake, we would appreciate privacy at this time," while Matthew shared an almost identical post.

Love Island saw a surprising new romance kick off between Hannah Elizabeth and Tyler Cruickshank, with the pair sharing a kiss on the terrace. On Wednesday's instalment, 24 January, Hannah and Tyler started by hugging with Hannah then appearing lean in for a kiss.

Emmerdale viewers were left puzzled by a Coronation Street newcomer on Tuesday night's episode, which saw Ella Forster's growing friendship with Mandy Dingle continue. Ella is portrayed by Paula Lane, who soap fans will remember as Kylie Platt from Coronation Street. Paula was a major player on the Cobbles from 2010 to 2016 until her character was tragically killed off in the street by Clayton Gibbs - Shona Ramsey's son.

Emmerdale fans are convinced they've worked out a shocking twist in Heath Hope's tragic death storyline, after he was killed in the New Year's Eve car crash. Over the last few weeks, viewers have watched as Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) and Heath's (played by Sebastian Dowling) sister Cathy Hope (Gabrielle Dowling) have been struggling to move forward from his death.

Emmerdale fans think they've figured out a 'nasty' twist involving Nicola King, following Angelica King's shocking confession that she was behind Heath Hope's tragic death. The ITV soap was filled with sadness on New Year's Day when teenager Heath sadly passed away after joyriding in a car with his twin sister Cathy and Angelica.The youngsters were eager to attend a New Year's Eve party outside the village but couldn't find a ride, and their dad Bob Hope wouldn't pay for a taxi. Left bored at the B&B's party, they decided to take Wendy's car for a joyride to the party.

Emmerdale fans were overwhelmed with emotion during Thursday night’s episode, as the village all came together to bid farewell to Heath Hope for the final time.The teenager was sadly killed on New Year’s Day when a joyride with his twin sister Cathy and friend Angelica ended in heartbreak when the car veered off the road and crashed.The three friends had been so eager to go to a New Year’s Eve party, that they stole a car to drive there themselves after dad Bob refused to shell out the fare for a taxi to get them to the venue, instead ordering to stay home and help out at the B&B’s party instead. Cathy started out the evening by driving the car as she took the backroads so they wouldn't be caught but Heath and Angelica complained it was taking too long, and urged the youngster to put her foot down and speed up.

Since first making her Emmerdale debut back in 1995 as Mandy Dingle, actress Lisa Riley has quickly cemented her place in soap history of one of the show’s most beloved stars. Well known for her bubbly personality and infectious joy, Mandy has been at the heart of some of Emmerdale’s most thrilling storylines over the past three decades, including her on-off again romance with Paddy Kirk, and the surprising revelation that she had adopted her son Vinny, while in a relationship with Vinny’s abusive dad Paul Ashdale.

Emmerdale star Lesley Dunlop has played the role of Brenda Walker since 2008 with her storylines resonating with her real life, from her doting husband to a heartbreaking family diagnosis. Lesley, 67, has become a beloved character on the hit ITV soap for over 15 years and in that time fell in love with her co-star Chris Chittel, who plays the role of Eric Pollard.The couple who are married in real life, first met when Lesley joined the Emmerdale cast as shopkeeper Brenda and their romance quickly blossomed away from the cameras.

Emmerdale has teased a massive feud between Cain Dingle (played by Jeff Hordley) and Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) during the latest episode, 12 January, as the former confronted his nephew over stealing a car from his garage with Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb). Fuming with the two men, Cain first warned Mack over getting involved in Aaron's dodgy antics. The local mechanic and legendary hard man then threatened troubled character Aaron, who is his sister Chas Dingle's (Lucy Pargeter) son, in the Woolpack garden.

Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, famed for her role as Mandy Dingle on the ITV soap, has impressed fans with her incredible weight loss journey as she has overall shed a gigantic 12 stone by turning her lifestyle on its head.

Emmerdale fans were left shocked as a "desperate" couple reignited their passionate love affair, leaving many viewers annoyed and saying the pair are "as bad as each other". Fans of the ITV soap know that the residents often struggle to stay faithful in long-term relationships, with many characters having risky affairs over the years, with the most recent being Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh) and Caleb Miligan (Will Ash).

Emmerdale fans have been sharing their love and support to James Hooton after he emotionally marked a milestone following his co-star's death. The actor, famed for playing Sam Dingle in the ITV soap, took to social media as he marked 29 years since he first appeared in the Dales.

Actor Neil Morrissey best known for his roles in Men Behaving Badly, Waterloo Road, Line of Duty and The Good Karma Hospital is joining a brand-new drama. He’ll be playing detectorist Martin Stone alongside Cold Feet actress Fay Ripley (who plays Martin's wife Anne Stone) and Inbetweeners star, James Buckley (who will play Ashley Taylor) in Channel 5’s Finders Keepers. Neil is thrilled to be playing Fay’s on-screen husband as the pair have never worked together before despite them appearing in so many iconic British shows.