Emmerdale fans 'delighted' as beloved character returns after months away

Emmerdale viewers were "delighted" when a beloved character made an anticipated return on Tuesday (May 27). Soap viewers will know that Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) faced

emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her ex-husband Tom King (James Chase) last year. Following his treatment of Belle, Tom soon turned his attention to his wife's dog, Piper,

with the villain cruelly poisoning the pet in an attempt to have Belle released from a mental health crisis centre. The storyline received a lot of backlash, with fans complaining about the

sensitive nature of the scenes. The soap went on to reassure viewers that Minnie, the dog who plays Piper, wasn't harmed during the filming of the scenes. Belle opened up to her family

about Tom's abuse in September 2024. Despite Belle's admission, Tom maintained the support of his closest family members, including his uncle Jimmy (Nick Miles). Tom was soon

charged with assault and coercive control, before the dark storyline reached its conclusion in December as the jury delivered a guilty verdict in his trial. Following Tom's exit, soap

fans quickly shared their frustration after Piper wasn't seen on screen for months. "Anyone seen Piper the dog lately?" one person previously asked on X (formerly Twitter),

with another adding: "Where's Piper these days?" Now, the beloved pet has returned to the spotlight after making an unexpected appearance in Tuesday's (May 27) episode.

During the latest instalment, Clemmie Reed (Mabel Addison) arrived on Sam Dingle's (James Hooton) doorstep after she reported Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) to social services. "Can I

come and live with you guys?" she asked. Sam later invited Joe round to the house to try and convince Clemmie to return home. As he pleaded his case, Clemmie was seen calmly stroking

Piper on the sofa. After tuning into the episode, several Emmerdale viewers quickly took to social media to share their excitement at Piper's return. "Was good to see Piper at

last," one person wrote on a Facebook fan page, with another adding: "So happy to see Piper back on screen tonight." A third said: "Delighted to see Piper return to

Emmerdale after months away from screen." EMMERDALE AIRS WEEKNIGHTS ON ITV1 AT 7.30PM AND IS AVAILABLE TO STREAM FROM 7AM ON ITVX IF YOU'VE BEEN AFFECTED BY ANY OF THE ISSUES

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