Ned Porteous might be feeling a little sheepish right now, after upsetting thousands of Emmerdale fans.
The actor revealed that his character Joe Tate won’t be returning to the ITV soap any time soon – if at all – when he posted on his Instagram account for the first time this year.
Read more: Emmerdale fans turn on Graham in shocking change of minds
Ned, who left Emmerdale in dramatic scenes in October, left the UK shortly after to pursue his dream of conquering Hollywood.
But as hype about his death and possible return continues to reach fever pitch, Ned’s just dropped the biggest hint yet that he’s not coming back.
Sharing two photos with his 112,000 followers on Instagram, Ned proved that he’s STILL in America and not back filming as Joe…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtUtd5mlgqK/
Read more: Emmerdale mum Jessie accused of disgusting favouritism
Simply posting a photo of himself in a model-esque pose, the actor revealed he is still in Venice, California.
While soap fans were happy to see his face again, many were gutted as their hopes of his return to Emmerdale had been dashed.
One wrote: “He’s a long way from Emmerdale Farm.”
Another said: “Get back to Emmerdale please!! Debbie needs a happy ending.”
A third said: “Come back to the Dales… You can’t be dead.”
“Missing you on Emmerdale, please come back,” said another, while yet one more said: “Debbie and the kids need you! Please come back!!”
One devout soap fan wrote: “Hope you’re having a great time, but you really need to get back to Emmerdale – the fans are going mad!
“Debbie needs you and you can’t let Kim Tate take over Home Farm, it needs new blood not old.”
Emmerdale viewers are supposed to believe that Joe is dead, having been finished off by his right-hand man Graham Foster.
But as we didn’t see the murder, or a body being buried, many of us have been hoping that he’s still alive.
Graham went off the rails drinking again after Joe’s apparent disappearance, suggesting he couldn’t cope with the guilt of killing his friend.
However, there also appear to have been some hints that the pretend rich kid is still alive and kicking.
Will Joe Tate ever return to Emmerdale…? We expect so, but not just yet!
Do you think Joe Tate is really dead? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!