Emmerdale villager in tears as Zak Dingle’s heartbreaking death is finally confirmed in emotional scenes
AN Emmerdale resident broke down in tears as they had to reveal Zak Dingle's heartbreaking death in tonight's episode.
Actor Steve Halliwell previously passed away at the age of 77 in December 2023 after a period of ill health.
On tonight's edition of Emmerdale, his on-screen alter ego died off-screen, which left fans devastated.
It was up to Moira (Natalie J Robb) to break the news after she suffered a horrific burn that morning.
She was attempting to cook Matty (Ash Palmisciano) a hearty breakfast before she suffered from a small seizure.
Her wrist was caught on the side of the pan after her son warned her against potentially strenuous activity.
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Cain (Jeff Hordley) unexpectedly returned to the village early from his trip to Scotland after he visited Debbie (Charley Webb) and Zak.
He revealed that his father was supposedly doing better before he went for a lie down.
Just after Cain left the kitchen, Moira then received a frantic call from Debbie, who revealed the tragic news.
When Cain awoke from his slumber, he noticed that Moira was slouching over the kitchen table in tears.
Although he initially thought it had something to do with her brain tumour, Moira told him it was something else entirely.
He was left in utter shock by her message as she relayed Debbie's heartbreaking news.
But Cain was not the only person who was shocked by the news, as it seems that ITV soap fans were also left devastated.
Taking to X - formerly known as Twitter - one user wrote: "Zak will be missed always."
Moira Barton's biggest Emmerdale storylines
Played by Natalie J. Robb, Moira has become one of Emmerdale's most prominent characters since her debut in 2009.
AFFAIR WITH CAIN DINGLE
In October 2011, Moira began an affair with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), whom she had previously loathed.
At the time, she was married to first husband and childhood sweetheart John (James Thornton).
JOHN'S DEATH
In the characters' backstory, John and Moira had been married since 1990. They shared three children: Adam, Hannah (now Matty) and Holly.
While John struggled to forgive Moira's infidelity, he also realised he couldn't live without her.
Ultimately, the character of John was written out by having a car accident and fatal cardiac arrest.
Afterwards, Moira and Cain began a relationship and later married.
ADAM'S PATERNITY
It transpired that Cain was not the first man that Moira had an affair with.
She previously slept with John's brother James (Bill Ward) - with the revelation that he is her son Adam's biological father.
MURDER OF EMMA BARTON
James' estranged wife Emma (Gillian Kearney) was introduced as a soap villain, reuniting with her clan after two decades.
In October 2017, Emma was killed off in a who-dunnit storyline after being pushed off a viaduct.
She reappeared one last time in December 2017 for a flashback, where her killer was revealed to be archenemy Moira.
Emmerdale is available to watch on ITV1 and stream on ITVX.