Emmerdale's Jeff Hordley reveals identity of returning Dingle at Zak's funeral in new twist

Emmerdale actor Jeff Hordley has teased the identity of the returning Dingle at Zak's funeral and said that fans will be "surprised" by who it is

by · RSVP Live

Emmerdale's Jeff Hordley, who plays Cain Dingle, has hinted at the identity of a surprise returnee for Zak Dingle's funeral. Steve Halliwell, who portrayed the beloved character Zak since 1994, sadly passed away last December at the age of 77.

As a result, the soap's writers have crafted a death storyline for his character. The heartbreaking news of Zak's passing was confirmed this week, leaving the Dingle family devastated.

With Zak residing in Scotland, Cain and Sam (played by James Hooton) journeyed north to bring his body back to the village. Later this week, Zak's funeral will take place.

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However, the plot takes an unexpected twist when a long-lost relative makes a shocking appearance at the graveside. Several cast members have been dropping hints about who viewers might see returning.

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine on Wednesday, Jeff teased the unexpected arrival. Lorraine suggested: "We shall say, there's someone that turns up at the funeral, quite unexpectedly, and I think people will be quite surprised by that.

Cain tried to keep a brave face as he broke the news of Zak's death(Image: ITV)

To which Jeff responded: "I can tell you, that she is a good friend of some of us in the cast. Zoe Henry has worked with her on stage, William Ash and I have done a play with her. So it was really great to welcome this character to the show, and she is very very good indeed," he added.

Lisa Riley, famed for her portrayal of Mandy Dingle, recently hinted at upcoming drama. Speaking to The Sun, she revealed: "There is going to be someone coming from the past who will have repercussions for Mandy and Paddy and Vinnie especially moving forward."

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