DENISE Welch has broken her silence about her Emmerdale role as part of Tom King’s comeuppance.

The Sun exclusively revealed how Denise was joining the ITV soap for a short stint as part of the storyline and now she’s opened up about

how she feels ‘honoured’ to take on the role.

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Denise Welch has opened up about the ‘honour’ of joining Emmerdale

The actress plays the head juror in Tom King’s trial
Denise plays the head juror for Tom’s trial for his abuse and control of wife Belle.

The special episode will see Denise lead deliberations as the jury weigh up whether to find Tom guilty or not for his crimes.

Speaking for the first time she said: “I thoroughly enjoyed shooting this important episode of Emmerdale.

“Like many I’ve been gripped by the Belle and Tom storyline so to play a head juror in the story’s culmination was an honour.

“Parts of the script were taken from real life cases and the charity Refuge were involved in the research.

“My character Heidi was more emotionally involved so I felt that maybe she had experienced some form of domestic abuse herself.

“At Loose Women (wearing my other hat) we launched our Facing it Together campaign this year which has been hugely successful in shining a light on all sorts of abuse including of course coercive control so the subject matter is one I’m passionate about.

“To share the jury scenes with Charlie Dale and Jack Ellis and also to see lots of my Emmerdale mates made it a job to remember.”

Denise – who The Sun exclusively revealed is returning to Waterloo Road – made her name as Natalie Barnes on Coronation Street in the 90s.

In 2016 she joined EastEnders as Kyle Slater’s estranged mum Alison for a short stint.

And between 2021 and 2022 she played the villainous Trish Minniver in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.

Viewers have watched this week as Tom faked a suicide attempt in a twisted plot to rattle Belle and stop her from testifying against him.

In tomorrow’s episode he will learn whether his plan worked after Belle disappears leaving a note for her family.

Aware they need to find Belle the Dingles spring into action but soon they are shocked when the prosecution barrister admits that, without Belle, they may struggle to secure a conviction.

Solicitor Ollie tells Tom that Belle hasn’t arrived at court and Tom is pleased to see the fruits of his labour.

Belle Dingle’s biggest Emmerdale storylines

Mineshaft fall

One of her first storylines occured when the character was just seven-years-old. She was under the care of her uncle Shadrach Dingle (Andy Devine), who fell asleep. Daz Eden (Luke Tittensor) paid them a visit where he brought his pet ferret Spike. Although she was sternly warned against it, Belle let the animal out the cage and chased it through the fields. She she pursued the animal, she accidently fell down a mine shaft and had to be rescued.

Killing of Gemma Andrews

Gemma Andrews was played by actress Tendai Rinomhota. She was initially best friends with Belle before boys got in the way. After various dramatic moments, they got into an altercation. Belle pushed her to the ground in anger and Gemma hit her head. Belle was apologetic and she tried to help, but Gemma told her to stay away and they walked off in different directions. However, Harriet Finch (Katherine Dow Blyton) was left horrified after she found Gemma’s body near a hedge and she later passed away in hospital. Although Belle confessed her actions to Lisa (Jane Cox), her mother told her not to go to the police. But she later left the funeral to hand herself in, where she was charged with murder.

Jermaine Bailey affair

Belle first encountered Dr. Jermaine Bailey (Micah Balfour) when she needed treatment after she cut her hand on some glass. She was initially attracted to him, although she soon found out that he was already married. They could not stay away from each other as they met up at a factory to have sex. However, they accidentally started a fire when a candle was knocked into a bin. When he found out she was just 17-years-old, he tried to end their relationship, but they soon got back together. Belle later confessed the details of the affair to Jermaine’s wife, Angie Bailey (Nina Toussaint-White), after she became suspicious. Although he revealed plans to leave, she told him that she was pregnant. However she was actually faking it in an attempt to prevent him from leaving.

Schizophrenia diagnosis

After the details about the affair were revealed, Belle had a breakdown in the café. After paramedics were called, Belle went missing. A body was found by the police, but Zak (Steve Halliwell) and Lisa were relieved when they went to identify the body to discover that it was not Belle. After living rough, she collapsed from malnutrition and dehydration and was taken to hospital. When Zak and Lisa visited, Belle lashed out as she thought they would kill her. Belle was later assessed by doctors and after she claims that she could hear more than one voice, Jermaine thought she might have schizophrenia. The Dingle parents are informed that it might be best to send Belle to a unit in Surrey to recover from the episode. Six weeks later she returns to the village to visit her family.

Lachlan White

Belle was known for her relationship with Lachlan White (Thomas Atkinson). The actor was known amongst soap fans for his portrayal of the serial killer from 2014 until September 2018. During his killing spree, he committed a number of murders. These included his mum and grandfather, Chrissie and Lawrence White, his best friend Gerry Roberts and a conman who pretended to be Gerry’s uncle. He attempted to kill rival Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) and Liv Flaherty (Isobel Steele) when he believed she discovered him. Many viewers also believed he had killed his aunt Rebecca, but both times she was revealed to be alive. When his crimes were discovered, he tried to go on the run where he kidnapped his girlfriend Belle Dingle. She then tried to escape, but was run over by Robert and Ross Barton (Michael Parr) who were looking for the duo.

Tom King

Belle married Thomas King (James Chase) in 2024, but soon after the marriage descended into chaos as Belle became part of a coercive control storyline. He locked her inside the house, secretly filmed her using CCTV, and subjected her to severe mental and physical abuse. He would also emotionally manipulate her too as he regulated and disposed of some of her mental health medication. After he made her think her beloved dog piper was killed in a road accident, she soon discovered his true nature. She tied to break free of his grip by telling her family. After he then tried to make her life hell in revenge, she attacked him with an axe in an act of desperation.

Tom’s triumphant as he prepares to take centre stage but will his plan work or will Belle find the strength to testify?

And will the jury realise Tom is guilty?