Emmerdale's Belle Dingle star issues warning to fans after soap hit with Ofcom complaints
Emmerdale was hit with hundreds of Ofcom complaints over scenes which saw Tom King abusing his dog in a bid to regain control over Belle Dingle.
Emmerdale: Tom King gives dog Piper injection shocking viewers
Emmerdale's Belle Dingle (played by Eden Taylor-Draper) has been enduring a harrowing ordeal at the hands of her menacing husband Tom King (James Chase).
The plot thickens next week when Belle discovers she is pregnant, leaving fans eager for a resolution and for Tom's abusive behaviour to be exposed.
However, Eden, who has portrayed Belle since 2005, has warned fans that the drama is far from over. "We have just had a couple of massive weeks of filming," she revealed.
"So we're definitely not at the end of the story. We're covering so many different forms of abuse within the storyline, and we're trying to show the red flags of different avenues that it can take."
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The storyline has been particularly hard to watch, with one scene involving Tom poisoning the family's beloved dog, Piper, causing an uproar among viewers.
In the chilling scene, Tom prepared a syringe while ominously telling his pet dog: "Don't worry, this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you... then again, maybe not."
The scene ended with the sound of Piper's whimpers as the screen faded, reports OK!. To address concerns, the ITV soap issued a statement on Emmerdale's official social media page to reassure viewers.
It said: "These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set! We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever."
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The controversial scenes sparked a wave of 313 complaints to Ofcom. One disgruntled viewer remarked: "First time i had to turn off Emmerdale it's hard to watch".
Another expressed their discomfort, saying: "No I'm sorry! But this is too much now, I understand these storylines are for awareness but this storyline needs to end now, I refuse to watch anymore until Tom is gone!"
A third agreed: "Nah I’m sorry but I draw the line at animal abuse. Terrible. A new low for this show," as another echoed: "This has gone too far now. I’m a huge Emmerdale fan but disgusted at this, it’s vile."
Eden revealed that despite on-screen tension, dog Piper, real name Minnie, and James are actually great friends. "James makes such a point, after being horrible to her, to then give her a cuddle," the soap star told OK!
