Emmerdale's original Dingles now from tragic deaths to drastic career change
As one of the biggest families in Emmerdale, it's no surprise the Dingles have had their fair share of drama over the years.
The complicated family burst onto screens 30 years ago in 1994 and has been at the helm of many twists and turns with dramatic storylines ever since. Some of the family members have become so synonymous with the much-loved ITV soap that the actors have gone on to achieve soap legend status.
While many celebs have stayed in their coveted roles for more than 20 years, we have tragically said goodbye to some Dingle icons in recent times. As we saw Belle Dingle tie the knot with Tom King in an hour-long special, we take a look at where some of the original Dingle actors are now and what happened to them...
Zak Dingle - Steve Halliwell
Zak Dingle, played by the late Steve Halliwell, was one of the original Dingles. The much-loved character was the son of farmer Jedediah and Peg Dingle - who had six children.
Steve Halliwell attending the British Soap Awards 2017 at The Lowry, Salford
Steve, who played soap icon Zak, died last year (ITV)Steve made his first appearance on the ITV serial drama in October 1994 and played the Dingle patriarch for 29 years, making him the show's longest-serving cast member. His name became synonymous with Emmerdale.
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His other acting credits included Cracker, Heartbeat and Coronation Street, but Halliwell was best known to soap fans as head of the Dingle clan and the father of Cain, Belle and Sam. Halliwell made his last appearance on the soap in June 2023 for a special week of episodes centred around the troublesome family.
On December 15, 2023, Steve passed away "peacefully with his loved ones around him" at the age of 77, his family said in a statement. Announcing his death to fans, a spokesperson for ITV said it was 'hard not to smile' when thinking of the star. They said: “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."
His family added: "He went to sleep, peacefully with his loved ones around him. He was making us laugh to the end, the most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for, family was everything to him. We would like to thank the wonderful staff at St James Hospital and the Wheatfield Hospice for their love and kindness in his final days. He didn’t want sadness, just to rejoice in a life well lived."
Lisa Dingle - Jane Cox
Lisa Dingle endured her fair share of heartache during her time on the soap, including her divorce from Zak after 18 years of marriage when she discovered he had fallen for their lodger. Played by actress Jane Cox, she joined Emmerdale in 1996 before taking a sabbatical in 2018.
Jane has moved away from TV (ITV)The character returned a year later, and was diagnosed with a rare disease - amyloidosis. But soon after, it was announced she was set to be killed off, with her last appearance on May 24, 2019. Since then, Jane has done voice-over cameos.
Jane said of her decision to leave the ITV soap: "It is long, long days and then you don’t have time in the evenings because you have lines to learn for the next day. My mum died a couple of years ago, so it does make you think a lot about the big things in life."
Since quitting the Dales, Jane has tried writing a book but has now taken up an entirely different career. A new path in life saw her retrain in alternative health therapy reflexology.
In 2019 Jane spoke to Inside Soap about the change in career: "Well, I wanted to slow down a bit, and I'm currently doing a course in reflexology. I'm available for acting roles, but at the moment I'm just chilling - which is a luxury for me."
Shadrach Dingle - Andy Devine
Zak's older brother Shadrach debuted in the village in 2000. Much like other Dingles, Shadrach, played by actor Andy Devine, was involved in many dramatic storylines, helping him achieve soap legend status.
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Andy sadly died in 2022The character tragically died in July 2010, when he drowned whilst attempting to retrieve some beer cans floating away in a river. Viewers were saddened by the death and over a decade later, it was announced that Andy had died at the age of 79 in an unfortunate incident.
A coroner ruled that Andy had died in January 2022 after an accidental fall. Andy, whose real name was Peter Devine, appeared to have "lost his balance resulting in a fall" and died in Southport Hospital in Merseyside on January 27.
A statement from Sefton Senior Coroner Julie Goulding said: "He was unable to get up until his carers arrived to assist him which was about an hour later. Peter had a significant number of serious underlying clinical co-morbidities and not withstanding all appropriate care and treatment, Peter's condition deteriorated culminating in his death."
After the passing of Andy, Liam O'Brien, who played Ethan Blake in Emmerdale for three years, said: "Heartbroken to hear of the passing of an old friend. Even sadder that he passed in January and never knew.
"I was by the sea now when heard the news and Andy Devine was a sailor through and through. Gods rest ye pal. Second star to the right. Straight on 'til morning."
Sam Dingle - James Hooton
As one of Zak's sons, Sam is the second longest-serving Dingle. Fans are used to seeing him in a khaki parka in the Yorkshire Dales - but the actor actually has a very ripped body beneath.
James plays Sam Hooton (Instagram/ @hootonjames)
The actor has shown off his secretly ripped body (Twitter)James Hooton, who is best known for portraying Sam in ITV's Emmerdale, has built up an incredibly muscular physique over the years and proudly shows it off on social media. The 50-year-old, who is engaged to Nancy Lucas, the mum of his two daughters, lives an active life away from the cameras.
Nottingham-born James is an avid rock climber and regularly documents his fitness activities on Instagram, showing himself climbing various structures, including viaducts and boulders with his bare hands.
Cain Dingle - Jeff Hordley
Cain first appeared in Emmerdale in 2000 before eventually being written out in 2006. The character shockingly discovered his uncle Zak was in fact his dad, who had a fling with his sister-in-law Faith.
Jeff Hordley has played Cain since 2000 (ITV)Cain, played by Jeff Hordley, made a comeback in 2009, and has remained in the soap ever since, continuing to lead with gripping storylines. Away from the Dales, the 53-year-old from Crumpsall, Manchester, is married to his co-star Zoe Henry, who plays Rhona Goskirk on the show.
She first joined in 2001 but became a regular fixture in the Dales when she reprised her character eight years later. The pair met back in 1994 while attending drama school, and have been together for 29 years.
Speaking about working with her husband, Zoe previously shared how they support each other through difficult storylines on Emmerdale. "It's important to have a laugh in-between takes so upsetting stories don't get you down too much", she told The Sun.
"Working on the same show as Jeff also helps because if one of us is having a bad day then the other will completely understand." The couple has shared several insights into their married life over the years, with Zoe proclaiming that Jeff "couldn't be less like a Dingle if he tried" during an appearance on ITV's Lorraine in 2022.
She went on to say how the pair both love gardening and have been growing their own fruit and vegetables at home for 15 years.
Chas Dingle - Lucy Pargeter
Chas, played by Lucy Pargeter, has been a firm favourite on the soap for more than two decades. Unlike other Dingles, Chas has been a staple character since 2002, however, her future has been questioned in recent times after her triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis.
Emmerdale's Lucy Pargeter'sOutside of her acting career, Lucy is focused on family life with her three daughters. In 2022, it was revealed that Pargeter had split from her previous long-term partner and football coach Rudi Coleano, who she had been in a relationship with for 12 years.
The couple share three children, daughter Lola and twins Missy and Betsy. At the time of their split, they issued a statement confirming they were no longer together.
The statement read: "Lucy Pargeter has confirmed she has separated from her long-term partner, Rudi Coleano, and, while no longer together, their main priority is raising their three daughters." However she has since moved on and in November 2022, it was confirmed she was dating again.
While speaking to the hosts of The Heal Is Real podcast, the actress said: "I’m in a new relationship now. Exclusive. Don’t say anything. Massive fear for me being a single mother of three, possibly finding someone else to spend the rest of my life with and thinking, ‘oh my god, the first thing I’m going to have to say is I’ve got no t*ts. I used to have tits, so imagine me with t*ts, but now I’ve got no t*ts’."
Charity Dingle - Emma Atkins
Emma Atkins says she's very different to her character (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Despite Charity being married eight times while on the soap, actress Emma Atkins who plays her has never been married in real life. Speaking on Loose Women, Emma, 48, said: "Charity has been married eight times, I've never been married. She's a bada**, I'm really nice. I struggle to ever defend the character whenever I do interviews."
Despite this, Emma, who joined the cast in 2000, is in a long-term relationship with her partner Tom and they welcomed a son named Albert just before her 40th birthday. The actress currently lives at home In Yorkshire with Tom, Albert, and their family dog.
Marlon Dingle - Mark Charnock
Character Marlon has been at the very heart of village life since he arrived in 1996, and, having followed his various trials and tribulations over the years, many viewers almost feel as though they know him personally. The loveable character is played by 55-year-old Mark Charnock.
Mark Charnock plays loveable Marlon (Instagram)As per TV.com, Bolton-born Mark has been married to his wife for several years, and they tied the knot in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The couple also allegedly have one son together. Although little is known about Mark's family life, he'll often share updates on Instagram about his various behind-the-scenes interests, which appear to include gardening, reading, and animals.
Mandy Dingle - Lisa Riley
Mandy is Zak's niece and the daughter of Caleb and Vera-Lynn Dingle. She is one of the earliest cast members of the clan, joining Emmerdale in 1995. She appeared as the character until 2001, before making a big return in 2019.
A thrilled Lisa Riley shows her post-surgery body to her best friend KateFrom 1998 to 2002, the star replaced Jeremy Beadle as the presenter of You've Been Framed! In recent times, the actress was determined to make a positive change in her life, and amazed fans after revealing she'd lost 12 stone over 18 months, slimming down from a size 28 to a size 12.
However, her significant lifestyle change was only the beginning of her path towards feeling comfortable in her body, with her weight loss leaving her feeling like a "saggy mess". In her 2017 documentary, Lisa Riley's Baggy Body Club, the soap star admitted she was left feeling "revolted" by her own appearance.
Lisa, 47, recalled: "When I made the decision to lose weight, I never for one second imagined that I would end up looking like that. It never occurred to me that the loose skin would be so bad. I thought why on earth have I lost all this weight? I looked worse than I did when I was obese. And it was the pain as well. The skin was flapping about and dragging."
The actress, who was initially apprehensive about surgery, underwent four operations in total, including a fleur de lis tummy tuck, surgery to remove loose skin from her thighs, a boob lift, and "bingo wings" removal. It took Lisa several months to recover, but she's now finally happy with her own reflection.
Debbie Dingle - Charley Webb
Charley walked from the soap in 2021 (Mark Bruce)Debbie was introduced to Emmerdale in 2002 as the foster child of Paddy and Emily Kirk before being revealed as the daughter of Charity and Cain Dingle. She has been portrayed by Charley Webb, who has been in and out of the role over the years as she created her own family off-screen.
Four years after Charley, 35, joined the cast of the ITV soap, Matthew Wolfenden landed the role of David Metcalfe in the Dales. As a relationship blossomed between the pair, Matthew proposed on set in 2009, before they eventually married nine years later.
The celebrity couple welcomed three sons into the world between 2010 and 2019, but announced they had gone their separate ways in a statement at the end of last year following weeks of speculation.
After two decades of playing Debbie, the actress quit in 2021 to pursue other acting roles. And it didn't take her long to land a part in ITV's gripping crime drama The Long Shadow, which was based on the hunt for serial killer Peter Sutcliffe.
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