Emmerdale fans reckon they've spotted a link between Denise Welch's character and a well-loved village resident.
Welch made her Emmerdale debut this week, playing Heidi, a juror in the gripping court case involving Tom King (James Chase) and Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper).
As long-standing viewers will recall, Tom has been subjecting his wife Belle to psychological torment and abuse for the past year and a half. Thankfully, Belle managed to break free and report his abusive behaviour.
In Thursday's episode (December 19), Tom's trial took place, where he faced charges of coercive control and assault. While giving evidence, Belle revealed the truth about the abuse she suffered, Leicestershire Live reports.
Tom, however, continued to lie, spinning a web of deceit whenever he could. During this powerful episode, viewers saw jurors Heidi - played by Welch - and Karl (Charles Dale) disagree over who was telling the truth.
Heidi was adamant that Belle was being honest, while Karl initially seemed to side with Tom. However, Karl eventually saw the error of his ways, and the jury returned a guilty verdict, resulting in Tom being sentenced to three years in prison.
Denise Welch's performance on Emmerdale has been warmly received by fans, who are keen to see her become a regular on the show. Furthermore, viewers believe her character could be related to a legendary figure from the Dales.
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An Emmerdale fan took to a Facebook group dedicated to the soap to praise Denise Welch's compelling performance in a recent episode, commenting: "Denise Welsh was amazing in Emmerdale tonight what a fantastic believable performance."
This sparked discussions among the community about the possibility of Denise's character, Heidi, becoming a more permanent part of the show.
Fans shared their enthusiasm in the comments, with one saying: "She was brilliant! I hope they keep her on," while another suggested an intriguing plot development: "She could be Kim Tate's long-lost sister."
The speculation didn't stop there, as fans began to imagine scenarios, with one posting: "You're onto something there! I can see them in Home Farm ruling the village."
Another fan noted that Kim Tate does indeed have a sister, hinting at potential for Denise's role.
Reflecting on her time on the show, Denise Welch said: "I thoroughly enjoyed shooting this important episode of Emmerdale. Like many I've been gripped by the Belle and Tom storyline so to play a head juror in the story's culmination was an honour."
She also mentioned that the storyline included real-life elements, thanks to input from the charity Refuge.
Denise Welch, who is also a part of Loose Women, drew parallels between the themes in Emmerdale and the ITV show's campaign. She said: "At Loose Women (wearing my other hat) we launched our Facing it Together campaign this year which has been hugely successful in shining a light on all sorts of abuse including of course coercive control so the subject matter is one I'm passionate about.
"To share the jury scenes with Charlie Dale and Jack Ellis and also to see lots of my Emmerdale mates made it a job to remember."
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm
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