Emmerdale viewers were left on tenterhooks about Debbie Dingle's possible return to the village for Zak Dingle's (portrayed by Steve Halliwell) funeral following his tragic death.
The ITV show has been building up to an emotional farewell as the Dingle family prepares to say their final goodbyes to the beloved Zak, who passed away unexpectedly at his Scottish home.
On Monday (October 14), audiences saw Cain Dingle (played by Jeff Hordley) spend time with his daughter Debbie (Charley Webb) and father Zak, before heading back to Emmerdale.
Cain was faced with grim news upon his return when Moira (Natalie Robb), his wife, received a harrowing phone call from Debbie informing them of Zak's demise, leaving Cain with the heartbreaking duty of informing the rest of the family.
Due to Debbie's role in breaking the news of her grandfather's death, fans speculated she might reappear to partake in the mourning, reports .
However, Wednesday's episode of the popular ITV soap (October 16), now available on ITVX and airing on ITV1 at 7:30pm, delivered a twist as Moira dismissed speculation of Debbie's return during an update to her step-daughter.
Honouring Zak's last requests, Cain, along with Sam Dingle (James Hooton), journeyed to Scotland to retrieve Zak's body and bring him back home for burial amongst his kin.
In a revealing phone chat with Cain later resolved by Moira, Debbie's absence future was the hot topic. When the call ended, Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano) queried his mother Moira: "Debbie not coming back for the funeral? ".
Moira disclosed: "She's told Cain that she can't face it. She got so close to Zak while he was living there, she wants to remember him in her own way."
"It's hit her hard. Only now, Cain's got to sort everything out, like he's not got enough on his plate."
Debbie first graced our screens on Christmas Eve in 2002. However, Charley Webb took her final bow from the show as Debbie in 2019, before making a brief comeback for a guest appearance stretching from late 2020 into early 2021.
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and available to stream from 7am on ITVX
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