Lisa Dingle in Emmerdale had her share of drama in her time on the soap.
She had an unexpected baby, suffered a rape, dealt with daughter Belle’s mental health issues and went through husband Zak being unfaithful.
So who is Lisa Dingle and what’s her story in Emmerdale?
Who is Lisa Dingle in Emmerdale?
Lisa was first introduced as a love interest of Zak Dingle’s brother, Albert – Marlon and Eli’s dad.
The character was played by actress Jane Cox.
She had feelings for Zak and he felt the same, but when he didn’t fight for her, Lisa accepted Albert’s proposal instead.
But on the big day, Lisa’s ex-husband Barry Clegg showed up to try to stop the wedding, Zak declared his real feelings and after all the excitement, Lisa and Zak made a go of things.
When was Belle Dingle born?
On Christmas Day 1998, the Dingles were worried when one of their pigs was ill.
Lisa called vet Paddy Kirk to help but it wasn’t long before she was feeling a bit odd, too.
And to Paddy’s surprise, she announced she was having a baby!
Lisa hadn’t even known she was pregnant.
Little Belle was born – with a bit of help from Paddy – and Zak was a very proud, albeit a bit surprised, new dad.
The death of Butch Dingle and Alice Dingle
Lisa became the heart of the Dingle family when she looked after them through tragedy.
She was initially blamed when Zak’s son Butch died in a bus crash, because Lisa had worked on the brakes of the bus before the accident.
But Zak realised he was mistaken and the couple made it up.
More tragedy arrived when Zak was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Lisa supported him through his treatment. And she proved how strong she was again when her stepson Sam‘s girlfriend Alice was diagnosed with cancer while she was pregnant.
Lisa Dingle’s rape
Lisa worked at the Sharma Sweet Factory, where she became friends with Derek Benrose.
He was friendly with Zak, too. But one night after working late together, Derek raped Lisa.
She reported him to the police, but there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue the case. Later, though, he was convicted of raping another woman.
Zak and Joanie’s affair
When Cain Dingle‘s son Kyle came back into the family’s life, Zak grew close to the little lad’s adoptive grandmother, Joanie.
Joanie ended up moving in with them but it wasn’t long before Zak and Joanie began having an affair, which was soon discovered by Belle.
On Christmas Day 2015, Belle revealed that her dad was cheating on Lisa with Joanie in front of their whole family.
Lisa was completely heartbroken.
But she kept her chin up even when she and Zak divorced and Zak married Joanie.
After Joanie punched a police officer she went to prison for a month.
When she was released, it was Lisa who had to come and pick her up.
On the way back, Lisa told Joanie that she had got back together with Zak and moments later Joanie went into cardiac arrest and died.
Lisa had to break the news of Joanie’s death to her former husband. The family persuaded Lisa to keep her name as Dingle and she agreed.
The end for Lisa Dingle
When Liv Flaherty accidentally spiked Lisa’s drink in the Woolpack, poor Lisa suffered a cardiac arrest and nearly died.
Lisa had Liv arrested and the Dingles were furious.
Realising her family were torn apart by Liv’s actions – and her own reaction – Lisa decided to leave Emmerdale forever.
She went to live in Scotland and after a while Zak went to live with her and they repaired their relationship.
How did Lisa die?
Lisa summoned Charity to stay with her, and revealed she was dying. Lisa had been diagnosed with a condition called amyloidosis.
She told Charity that Zak knew about her condition and wasn’t coping and asked her to write her eulogy.
The pair returned to Emmerdale and Zak proposed. After just a couple of days of planning, Zak and Lisa tied the knot once more in May 2019.
When a pig got loose, Lisa chased it and got mud all over her dress. She went home to change but never returned and when Zak went to find her, he discovered she had died peacefully.
Lisa died on May 23rd 2019.
Lisa returned as a voiceover for a storyline surrounding Belle’s mental health issues in 2020.
Read more: Who is in the cast of Emmerdale 2022? Meet this year’s full line-up
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
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