Lisa Dingle was devastated when her husband Zak went off with another woman – her supposed friend, no less.
But it appears the Emmerdale matriarch could have the last laugh this Christmas.
Master Dingle, it seems, has realised that the grass is not in fact greener on the other side.
And it’s his faithful wife’s generous bosom he wants to be snuggled into this Yuletide.
The lovable layabout may be married to Janie now, but his heart belongs with his ex, according to Steve Halliwell, who plays him.
“I think he’s facing the fact that it was an infatuation [with Joanie],” he told Mirror Online. “With her, he just couldn’t help himself.
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“But his feelings are not that deep – it’s not like when we fall in love. It’s very difficult to describe when it’s a different person.”
On Christmas Day, Zak and Joanie go to the Dingle farm for the festivities – ahead of their plans to leave the village.
But over the course of the day, it becomes increasingly obvious that Zak doesn’t want to leave at all – and that Lisa is the driving force in his change of mind.
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“Once Joanie is aware how much he does still feel for [Lisa], it’s pretty much impossible to carry on their relationship,” he explained.
“There’s so much against her anyway, with the weight of this family who didn’t want her there. Zak doesn’t want to leave either, what’s she going to do?”