Perhaps one of the most popular couples to ever live in the village of Emmerdale, Robert Sugden and Aaron Dingle -affectionately known as Robron – have certainly had their ups and downs on the road to everlasting love.
Fans shipped the pair from the very beginning when they shared their first kiss on a roadside.
Even when Robert turned violent they stood by the couple. And when Robert cheated and got Rebecca White pregnant, viewers continued to urge show bosses to reunite the lads.
Fans got what they wanted in 2018 when the pair reaffirmed their relationship and got married for real.
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How did Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden first meet?
Born and raised in the village, Robert had dalliances with several women including losing his viriginity to Nicola King, and seducing his brother Andy’s wife, Katie.
On his return to Emmerdale in 2014, he was engaged to Chrissie White, but it wasn’t long before we discovered he was attracted to men as well – namely Aaron Dingle.
It all began when Aaron stole Robert’s car, so Robert blackmailed him into a fake robbery at Home Farm to teach his father-in-law-to-be,Lawrence White, a lesson.
A few weeks later, Robert discovered Aaron was gay and faked a car breakdown to call him out for some roadside assistance.
Robert then admitted his car was fine and he’d called Aaron out for a different reason – before passionately kissing him.
They later had sex in a car at the garage, before Robert insisted, it was a one off, he was straight, and would be marrying Chrissie.
It wasn’t long, however, before they began a full-blown affair.
How was Robert and Aaron’s relationship exposed?
Robert’s ex, Katie, who hated him, suspected he was cheating on Chrissie and managed to get a photograph of Aaron and Robert kissing.
On the morning of his wedding to Chrissie, Robert confronted Katie as she threatened to expose him, and as things got heated, he pushed her. She fell through the floor and broke her neck.
Robert called Aaron who arrived and told him to go and marry Chrissie before cleaning up any evidence of him or Robert having been there, leaving Katie’s dead body to be found at a later date.
The guilt meant things were strained between the boys, but they continued their affair, with more and more people finding out.
Firstly, Aaron confessed the truth to Cain, who used the infomation to blackmail Robert.
Then Paddy caught them having sex in the portakabin and sent a note to Chrissie saying: “Rein your cheating husband in”.
Why did Robert turn violent with Aaron?
Furious with Paddy’s meddling, Robert got drunk and tried to bury him in grain, before having a change of heart and switching the machine off.
With Paddy recovering in hospital Robert threatened to harm his stepson Leo if Paddy revealed the truth about him and Aaron to anyone.
Paddy told Aaron about Robert’s threats and Aaron booked a cabin for him and Robert in an attempt to get him alone and record him confessing to both Katie’s murder and Paddy’s attempted murder.
But Robert was onto him and knocked him out with a vase before holding him bound and gagged at gunpoint.
Paddy burst in and Robert shot him in the arm, but once again unable to let him die, stitched up the wound and let them both go.
Aaron marched straight round to Chrissie and revealed the truth about their affair.
How did Aaron and Robert reunite?
The fallout from the affair reveal saw Chrissie set fire to Robert’s car, which then caused a gas cannister explosion, sending a helicopter plummeting out of the sky killing the pilot, Ruby Haswell and Val Pollard in the process.
Not long after, Robert was shot and Aaron was arrested for it. Robert didn’t believe he’d done it, and it turned out he was right because in fact it was Rob’s brother Andy who had persuaded Ross Barton to pull the trigger.
After Robert and Andy finally called a truce, Robert gave a false description of his attacker to the police to free Aaron.
But Aaron was far from grateful, insisting he hated Robert with every bone in his body.
Something about that didn’t ring true, though, and in January 2016, Robert found Aaron about to run away following his parents’ reconciliation.
Aaron then collapsed in Robert’s arms and it was revealed he had sepsis from self-harming wounds.
He later discharged himself from hospital and Robert located him hiding in Debbie’s house. It was then that Aaron confessed he’d been self-harming because his father, Gordon, raped him as a child.
Despite confronting Gordon, Robert remained loyal to Aaron, and kept his confidence. Fortunately, Aaron found the courage to tell the Dingle family and report Gordon to the police.
Robert wanted to help so tracked down Aaron’s stepmother, Sandra Flaherty, and he and Aaron went to visit her to see if she could make a statement.
The time spent together saw Aaron and Robert reconnect and agree to take their relationship slowly.
Did Robert support Aaron through the sex abuse trial?
Wanting to make sure Gordon went down, a misguided Robert paid Gordon’s neighbour to lie that he was another victim. But when Aaron found out he was furious tellling Robert if Gordon walked free it would be his fault.
Robert continued to support Aaron through Gordon’s trial, and Gordon was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Gordon wrote to Aaron from prison, but once again misguided in his efforts to support Aaron, Robert burned the letter.
Gordon then killed himself and left Aaron £250,000 in his will, but Aaron didn’t want the money.
Robert wanted him to take it and coupled with the news he burnt the letter, Aaron had enough, calling him manipulative and controlling, and telling him to stay out of his life.
But as Robert grew closer to Aaron’s sister, Liv, and supported her through a bullying ordeal with Noah Dingle, Aaron and Robert once again fell back into each other’s arms and they all moved in together.
When did Aaron and Robert get engaged?
Robert planned to propose to Aaron, but his former stepson Lachlan White started causing problems, and threatened to make up allegations of sexual abuse against Robert.
Aaron overhead everything and tied Lachlan up in the boot of his car, but he escaped and after a chase, Lachlan told Aaron Robert was sleeping with former fling Rebecca White.
In a big heart to heart, Robert then admitted his bisexuality and his previous affair with Rebecca, as well as revealing his father caught him with a farmhand when he was 15 and beat him to a pulp.
Aaron questioned whether he’d ever be enough for Robert, who angrily revealed his proposal plans – just before Aaron crashed the car in the huge Hotten Bypass disaster.
They smashed into a lake and although Robert eventually freed a trapped Aaron, the Dingle was rushed to hospital for liver surgery. Robert stayed by his bedside.
Aaron woke up and in a moving moment whispered: “Yeah,” to the proposal, before Robert slipped the ring on his finger.
Drama struck again when the heart monitor started beeping and Aaron was left fighting for his life.
As we all know, he survived, and when he woke up again, he asked Robert if marriage was definitely what he wanted.
Robert responded by tenderly touching the scars on Aaron’s arms, and saying he couldn’t bear the thought of losing him and wanted to be with him forever.
Aaron then asked Robert to marry him and Robert agreed, as they kissed.
Did Robert and Aaron stay together when Aaron went to prison?
Robert teamed up with Rebecca to get Home Farm and their dealings left Aaron filled with jealousy.
After arguing about her one time too many, Robert removed his engagement ring.
Aaron went out and got drunk, and when he witnessed an argument between Finn Barton and his love interest, Kasim, which Aaron interpreted as homophobic, he beat Kasim up, resulting in his arrest.
Robert vowed to stand by him, planning a surprise wedding in the Woolpack the day before Aaron’s sentencing.
Faith Dingle’s arrest at the ceremony put a stop to the nuptials, but Aaron and Robert had a private moment in the garage, exchanging rings and saying their vows.
Aaron was then sentenced to a year in prison and after being bullied inside, turned to drugs, telling Robert to forget about him.
When did Robert get Rebecca pregnant?
Following Aaron’s rejection, Robert got drunk and had sex with Rebecca, immediately regretting it the next day.
He was forced to come clean to Aaron when he was released from prison and Rebecca announced she was pregnant.
Although Aaron forgave Robert, his jealousy over the baby and what happened caused him to start self-harming and taking drugs again, leading to him ending their relationship.
While vengeful Robert set his sights on getting Home Farm, Aaron began a tentative relationship with Dr Alex Mason.
But he just couldn’t shake his feelings for Robert, and when they shared an intimate moment that was interrupted by Alex, Aaron knew he couldn’t pretend any longer and ended things with Alex.
Oblivious Robert, however, had decided he needed to try and move on, so went to a gay bar and picked up a guy.
Aaron saw them leaving together, but later discovered Robert alone with a bottle of whiskey.
Robert admitted he was still going to be faithful to Aaron even if they weren’t actually together, at which point Aaron confessed he’d ended it with Alex and the pair reunited.
Are Aaron and Robert going to become parents?
After Rebecca suffered a brain injury they ended up taking care of Robert’s son with her, baby Seb.
The lads married in an outdoor ceremony in October 2018, days after Aaron’s half-sister, Grace, passed away at birth.
Grateful to Robert for his support through the hard times, the wedding was an emotionally charged affair.
The boys were left devastated again when Rebecca decided to move to Liverpool with her boyfriend Ross Barton – and take Seb with her.
Robert and Aaron have been attempting to find a surrogate so they can have their own baby, but have recently agreed to put their plans on hold to support Robert’s sister, Victoria, following her rape.
Read more: The complete Emmerdale cast list 2019
Emmerdale is on Monday to Friday at 7pm with an extra episode on Thursday at 8pm on ITV.
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