ITV Emmerdale fans 'work out' Zak Dingle's secret love child - and it's an unlikely villager

Emmerdale fans think that the dearly departed Zak Dingle (portrayed by Steve Halliwell) might have had a secret love child who is already residing in the village.

In poignant scenes broadcast on Friday night, Cain Dingle (played by Jeff Hordley) at last confided in his siblings Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper) and Sam (James Hooton).

The siblings spent the entire night reminiscing over their most cherished memories of their father, with Cain now assuming the role of the "head of the family."

Yet, just the day prior, the Dingles came together to give Zak a fitting send-off at his funeral. The patriarch had specific wishes for his farewell, desiring to be buried at home.

Zak's final request was to be paraded through the village one last time before being buried amongst his nearest and dearest.

However, the Dingles were appalled when an uninvited guest disrupted the funeral, claiming she too was Zak's daughter and demanded her portion of the house, reports Leeds Live.

Tina Dingle (Samantha Power) arrived ready for battle, declaring her intent to claim everything for herself.

At this juncture, Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) intervened, revealing that Zak had indeed left a will, which she was safeguarding.

She fiercely warned Tina: "Slag off my Sam again, and you'll wish you'd never been born, and as for the house, Zak did make a will, and he had me look after it.

"That letter that Cain gave me in the house, so he has left the place to Sam, Belle, and Cain."

However, after the episode, fans are questioning why Lydia would receive a letter from Zak. While some speculate that she could be the Dingle stalwart's love child, others have put forth their own outlandish theories about it.

One fan, taking to a Facebook fan page, suggested Ruby Milligan (Beth Cordingly) could be Zak's secret daughter. After all, fans know nothing about Ruby's history or who her father could be.

They wrote: "I think Ruby is Zak's love child, that's why Ruby's mum didn't want her with Caleb."

Another shared: "I think it's Caleb's wife who is the secret daughter hence why her mum wanted to see and talk with her before she passed."

A third added: "A love child that's already in the program comes to light, and Belle is shocked."

"Yes, that would totally make sense," someone else penned.

More recently, Ruby discovered her mother had died and that her own husband Caleb Millian (Will Ash) had blackmailed her for £100k the day before.

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7.30pm on ITV.