Tina Dingle has been absent from Emmerdale for more than a year, but the soap has now issued a major update on the villager.
Emmerdale has shared a major update on Tina Dingle, and it isn’t good news.
Tina was one of the original members of the Dingle family, first appearing in 1994, where she was played by Jacqueline Pirie. During her time on the soap, she was involved in several major storylines.
These included seeking revenge for the murder of her older brother, Ben Dingle (Steve Fury). Tina eventually left the village in 1996 when she moved to London.
However, in 2024, Tina made a return to the village, this time portrayed by Samantha Power. Her surprise comeback saw her return for the funeral of her father, Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell).
Zak sadly died off-screen and was brought back from Scotland to Emmerdale so the family could gather and say their final goodbyes to the Dingle patriarch.
During her recent return, Tina blackmailed her cousin Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) into handing over Zak’s will. It was later revealed in a major twist that Tina is actually the biological mother of Mandy’s adopted son, Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson).
Tina made her final appearance in November 2024 and has not been seen on screen since. However, in Monday’s episode (December 29), the soap shared a major update on her situation.
During the episode, Mandy told Dylan (Fred Kettle) that she was planning to travel to Ireland after Tina had “got into a bit of trouble” with the police, and that she wanted Dylan to come with her.
Mandy explained: “She’s [Tina] in a bit of bother with the police and is on remand. Anyway, the Donegal Dingles have asked if I’ll go over and help look after the kids for a while, to stop them going into care. I mean, our Tina is a lost cause.”
Samantha Power stepped into the role of Tina when the character returned last year, after original actress Jacqueline Pirie reportedly chose not to reprise the part. A source told The Sun that Jacqueline had fond memories of her time on Emmerdale and her acting career, but that chapter of her life was a long time ago and she has since moved on.
The source added that she now lives in Canada and has embarked on a new career as a novelist. While she will always have affection for the show, a return was not something she was interested in, noting that recasts are a common part of long-running soaps.
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