Emmerdale character Eli Dingle was a big part of the Dingle family.
He was last seen in 2010, fleeing the village.
But who is Eli? How is he related to the Dingles and what is actor Joe Gilgun up to now?
Emmerdale: Who is Eli Dingle?
Eli Dingle is the son of Albert Dingle and Delilah Dingle Sr.
Marlon Dingle is Eli’s other brother.
As Albert is Zak Dingle’s brother, this makes Marlon and Eli his nephews.
Eli appeared in Emmerdale from 2006 until 2010.
Eli’s arrival in Emmerdale
Eli turned up in Emmerdale in April 2006 having just been released from prison.
No one was happy to see Eli and Zak wanted to turn him away, but Sam asked Zak to let him stay.
However it wasn’t long before Eli was disowned by Zak for obtaining the morphine that Sam used to assist Alice in taking her life.
Eventually Eli got back in with his family, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
He was involved in blackmail plots and had several negative encounters with the law.
Marlon and Eli bookies robbery
When a local bookmaker refused to pay out money Marlon was owed, he and Eli planned to get revenge by robbing the bookies.
Eli brought a gun to the robbery and it went off, accidentally shooting Marlon in the chest.
Marlon recovered and was rewarded for his bravery with enough money to buy a house for him and his wife Donna.
Eli was jealous and kidnapped his brother, admitting he always resented him.
Marlon managed to get free and the two brother began to fight, which ended with Eli hanging off a multi-storey carpark.
Eli was rescued but Zak was furious.
Did Eli marry Debbie Dingle?
Debbie is the daughter of Eli’s cousin, Debbie Dingle, making them second cousins.
Debbie and Eli had an on-off relationship.
He even proposed to her to help her get custody of her daughter Sarah.
She initially agreed but called the wedding off when the ring was stolen.
Eli’s feud with Sam
Sam developed feelings for Olena Petrovich, who was in from Ukraine living in England illegally.
But she started to get close to Eli and eventually admitted she didn’t have feelings for Sam.
Sam proposed to Olena so she could stay in the country and asked Cain to obtain a fake passport.
But Zak warned her to leave town or he would report her to the authorities.
Eli and Olena confessed their love for each other and made a pact to elope.
Marlon realised what was going on between them and demanded he tell Sam the truth.
But Sam caught them kissing and reported Olena to border control and she was arrested.
When Sam confessed to a drunk Eli what he did, Eli threw a glass at his head.
Marlon dragged him away but told Eli it was his own fault for not telling Sam the truth.
Zak told Eli he was no longer a Dingle, but Eli got back at him by telling Sam that Zak was the one who told Olena to leave in the first place.
How did Eli leave Emmerdale?
Eli got a letter from Olena saying she was back home.
He became depressed and quit his job, but Marlon demanded rent money, so Eli took the cash box from the B&B.
Eric heard noise and when he went to see what was going on he fell downstairs and was knocked unconscious.
Eli took the box and ran, but Sam found Eric. Sam was blamed for the theft.
Eli planned to run away but Marlon told him he needed to sort his mess out.
Eli confessed he was the thief and apologised to Sam.
He begged Marlon not to let him leave on bad terms and the brothers shared an emotional goodbye.
Eli gave the cash box back to Marlon which contained a note saying ‘IOU £400.’
He left the village before he could be arrested and hasn’t returned since.
Who played Eli Dingle?
Eli was played by actor Joseph Gilgun, who also goes by Joe.
Joe was born on March 9 1984 in Chorley, Lancashire. He is currently 38 years old.
Joe Gilgun in Coronation Street
Before his role in Emmerdale, Joe played Jamie Armstrong in Coronation Street from 1994 until 1997.
His character even appeared in a Coronation Street scene with Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon in Emmerdale.
Mark played PC Turner in Corrie, who was called to investigate a prowler outside the flats Deirdre Barlow was living in.
But it turned out to be Jamie.
What else has Joe Gilgun been in?
Before Emmerdale Joe appeared in Shameless and Hollyoaks.
After his Emmerdale exit, Joe continued acting and has had a very successful career.
He went on to play Rudy Wade in Misfits and appeared as Richard ‘Woody’ Woodford in This Is England.
Between 2016 and 2019 he played Cassidy in Preacher.
Joe Gilgun’s link to Michelle Keegan
Since 2019 he has played Vinnie O’Neill in the Sky comedy-drama Brassic, alongside Michelle Keegan.
Michelle, who starred in Corrie as Tina McIntyre, plays Erin Croft in Brassic.
Vinnie and Erin’s son is played by Coronation Street star Jude Riordan.
Read more: Who is in the cast of Emmerdale 2023? Meet this year’s full line-up
Emmerdale usually airs on weekdays at 7:30pm, with an hour long episode on Thursdays.
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