Graham Foster has finally reached out to Rhona in Emmerdale, and he hasn’t wasted any time sharing everything about his ‘killer’ Pierce Harris.
Emmerdale viewers finally got the full backstory of how Graham Foster survived, despite being declared dead six years ago. His alleged killer, Pierce Harris, has never been far from his thoughts.
During Tuesday’s episode of the ITV soap (January 20), the “Who Killed Ray Walters?” storyline continued with more flashbacks to the day the villain met his end. In a surprising twist, additional flashbacks revealed Graham’s true fate.
The tense episode opened by taking viewers back to Friday, January 2, when human trafficker Ray (Joe Absolom) was still alive. Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) is seen at home, anxiously waiting and still worried about the disappearance of her stepdaughter, April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan).
The vet is left stunned when her former lover, Graham (Andrew Scarborough), sneaks into Smithy Cottage, surprising her by revealing that he is still alive and wants to help.
During their conversation, flashbacks to 2020 show how Graham survived his supposed “murder” at the hands of Pierce Harris (Jonathan Wrather).
Who was Pierce Harris in Emmerdale?
Pierce, a charismatic lawyer, was introduced in January 2016 as the husband of Tess Harris (Destiny Whitlock), who was secretly having an affair with Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) while still married to Rhona.
In February 2016, Tess died in a car crash, and Pierce only discovered her affair after her shocking death, which ultimately brought him into Rhona’s life.
After being betrayed by their respective partners, the two found comfort in one another and began a relationship once Rhona ended things with Paddy. However, their romance was far from idyllic.
Pierce’s behaviour towards Rhona gradually became controlling and coercive, eventually forcing her into non-consensual sex. Confused and manipulated, Rhona went along with marrying her increasingly insecure partner in April 2017.
When Rhona admitted to sharing a brief, drunken kiss with Paddy shortly before the wedding, an enraged Pierce raped her on their wedding night. He cruelly shifted the blame onto Rhona, undermining her self-esteem and making her doubt her own feelings.
Eventually, courageous Rhona reported the assault, freeing herself from Pierce’s toxic hold, and the case proceeded to trial.
Despite his attempts to discredit Rhona on the stand and convince the jury that she had lied about the rape, Pierce was left stunned when he was sentenced to five years in prison in July 2017.
Pierce returned to the village in 2020, unleashing another reign of terror. He took Vanessa (Michelle Hardwick) and her son Johnny hostage, but Rhona managed to save them, sending him back to prison.
During a dramatic whodunit storyline, it was also revealed that the villain had murdered Graham in 2020, as Graham had been planning a new life with Rhona.
How did Pierce die in Emmerdale?
In February 2022, it was revealed that Pierce had died in prison. Before his death, he reached out to Rhona, letting her know he was terminally ill.
He asked for one final favour: for her to help him locate his long-lost son, Marcus. Rhona agreed and successfully made contact, with Marcus eventually arriving in the village to learn more about his father.
However, before they could visit Pierce in prison, they received the news that he had already passed away.
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