Emmerdale fans 'work out' Christmas return for much-loved character - and Ross Barton won't be happy

Emmerdale enthusiasts were taken aback this week when Ross Barton, portrayed by Michael Parr, made a dramatic comeback after being absent for six years.

However, the scenes left viewers scratching their heads, wondering about the location of Rebecca White, played by Emily Head. Fans will recall that Ross departed the village with Rebecca in 2018 to embark on a new life in Liverpool.

Michael first became part of the popular ITV soap in 2013, and his character Ross was notorious for his stormy relationships with characters such as Debbie Dingle, played by Charley Webb.

He initiated a romantic relationship with Rebecca in 2017, but around the same time, she also had an affair with Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) while Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) was incarcerated.

Rebecca discovered she was expecting and was uncertain about the biological father of her child until it was confirmed that Robert was the father, reports Leeds Live.

Despite their intermittent romance, Ross and Rebecca reignited their relationship in 2018 following Ross' dreadful acid attack due to mistaken identity.

Later in 2018, Ross exited the village with Rebecca and her son Sebastian to begin a fresh life elsewhere. However, with Ross now back in the village without Rebecca, he later revealed that she had passed away and he did not have custody of Seb as he was not his biological son.

Now, Emmerdale fans are speculating that Robert Sugden will return to seek his son following Rebecca's demise. Robert Sugden was married to Aaron but is currently serving a prison sentence for manslaughter.

He assaulted Lee Posner, played by Kris Mochrie, following the rape of his sister Victoria Sugden, played by Isabel Hodgins, which led to a violent confrontation between the two men, resulting in Lee's hospitalisation and eventual death from his injuries.

On Reddit, one fan speculated about a potential return of Robert Sugden, writing: "So Rebecca is dead and Seb is living with a relative and Robert doesn't know. What if once he finds out he decides to finally use the information that Vic gave him to appeal his conviction?".

Another fan agreed, stating: "Yeah I'm like 80% convinced he might be the Christmas return and if not he'll probably be back at some point next year. There's no reason to kill Rebecca off otherwise. Her and Ross could've just split up and that would be that."

They also noted that Robert's sentence would have been partially served by now, making it plausible for him to be released on good behaviour.

A third fan shared the same sentiment, saying: "I have a feeling this is definitely leading to Robert's return."

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV and ITVX

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