Emmerdale fans have been determined for months that Joe Tate isn’t dead.
And despite adding fans to the flame last week by suggesting he could return, Jeff Hordley, who plays Cain Dingle, confirmed on Friday’s (January 18) This Morning that Joe is dead – as far as he knows.
This week’s dramatic episodes have seen Cain confess to daughter Debbie he killed Joe.
Viewers know Cain actually just punched Joe and caused him to hit his head on a rock and it was Graham who (supposedly) finished the job.
Graham was driven to the brink by guilt and has only just started to pull himself together, so would he really have felt so awful if he knew Joe was alive?
Speaking to Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, Jeff revealed: “As far as Cain’s concerned Joe’s dead.” So far, so true.
“People are asking the question: ‘Is he alive?’ ‘Is he not?’,” the actor continued. “But as far as Cain’s concerned he’s dead. And as far as Debbie’s concerned he’s dead.”
Eamonn wasn’t having that though and pushed for a definitive answer on whether Joe has really gone for good.
“In terms of scripts and what I know, and where it’s going at the moment, I’ve not seen any evidence in the scripts that say otherwise.”
Well that’s not what we wanted to hear, is it?!
Appearing alongside on-screen daughter Charley Webb, the pair spoke about how the relationship between father and daughter sits now.
“There’s be one constant in Cain’s life, it’s been his daughter and now that this happened it has kind of rocked his world because she’s always been there for him and he’s always been there for her, and this seems to be the end for them.”
Charley added: “We knew it was coming up, but it’s a big thing for them because it’s like ‘will this destroy them forever?’ That’s the question that we don’t know at the moment.
“We’re filming stuff still aware they’re not speaking so who knows how long that’s going to go on for.”
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