Aaron Dingle’s huge secret has been revealed: he’s taking boxing lessons from his uncle Zak Dingle.
Okay, so in comparison to the secrets he’s kept in the past, including his sexuality, a death cover-up when Katie died thanks to Robert, his abuse at the hands of his father, his self-harming and his drug addiction, this seems on the tame side, but it’s about time Aaron found a healthy outlet for his emotions.
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Aaron’s best mate Adam Barton was getting suspicious in Tuesday night’s episode when a newly returned Aaron kept doing a disappearing act. Just where was he going?
It wasn’t long before Adam couldn’t contain himself any longer and followed Aaron where it turned out the destructive Dingle was receiving secret boxing training from his uncle Zak.
Apparently using the sessions as a much healthier outlet for his anger than his usual techniques, he’s trying desperately to get over his split from Robert Sugden.
He’s set to continue with the sessions over the coming weeks, but not everybody is going to be happy with his newfound hobby.
“I think a lot of people are worried that Aaron is going to over-train and do himself some damage,” Danny Miller, who plays Aaron, revealed to Digital Spy.
“But in fact, he’s actually doing it because it’s helping with his anger.
“Aaron is channelling everything into this training and he quite enjoys it. It’s a nice way for him to keep fit, as well as learning how to box at the same time.
“Aaron’s uncle Zak is also the apple of his eye and he really looks up to him. Zak has experienced mental illness in the past and Aaron also knows how good he is at boxing.
“Although Zak is old, Aaron knows that Zak can teach him some tricks in the ring!”
But Danny has also revealed there’s some danger of him getting hurt in real life!
“I love boxing anyway. I watch it every weekend, but it’s not until giving it a go that I realised I could quite easily get knocked out in a boxing ring!
“It’s not my sport – I think my hand-eye coordination isn’t the best!
“We had some fight coordinators on set to help us out and I’ve done it to the best of my ability.”
The actor also admitted it’s nice to move away from the darkness of his recent storylines, which included being sent to prison for GBH and getting addicted to spice while he was in there.
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On the outside, his husband Robert cheated on him with Rebecca White leading to her pregnancy, which Aaron hasn’t been able to handle leading the boys to split.
“What’s nice is that it’s something different,” Danny explained. “It’s a way of coming away from the dark storylines that Aaron usually gets. I’ve been able to have a laugh with Steve Halliwell, who plays Zak, and Adam gets involved as well. It’s a new dynamic for me as an actor.”