All Signs Suggest DEBBIE DINGLE Is Making A Big EMMERDALE COMEBACK, And We’ve Gathered Every Hint And Reason Why Her Return To The Soap Is Just Around The Corner

Tonight’s Emmerdale has us donning our conspiracy theorists’ hat as we grow evermore convinced that Debbie Dingle is coming back to Emmerdale. No, hear us out!

In tonight’s episode (Thursday, June 19) three members of the Dingle clan attempt to come to terms with recent developments. For Cain Dingle, it’s a sense of guilt over his son’s death, and how he left things with Nate. For Charity, she’s been left reeling at the bombshell news that Sarah’s been hiding a cancer diagnosis under her very nose.

Sarah, at least, is reckoning with altogether happier news – having attended her first egg harvesting procedure, things are on track for her to have the baby she’s so desperate for. But where does Debbie come into all this?

Sarah, Charity and Cain recently learned that Debbie has moved to Australia (Credit: ITV)

Debbie Dingle coming back to Emmerdale as soap lays the foundation for her return?

As Cain licked his wounds after a mouthful from Pollard, he received a visit from Sam. His little brother came bearing a bottle of their dad’s finest moonshine. Sam revealed that the moonshine had come from Debbie – who’d been keeping it in storage.

Sam may have been in contact with Debbie, but it appears Cain isn’t, making her another child he’s no longer in contact with. At least she’s not dead though, unlike poor man of the moment Nate.

She rated another mention before the episode ended, as Charity had it out with Sarah over hiding her cancer diagnosis. She’d been planning on sharing the news, but Debbie’s emigration news had got in the way.

As she revealed, her mum’s callous disregard had left Sarah feeling more independent than ever.

With Debbie’s name getting repeat mentions over the past few weeks and months on Emmerdale, this could very well be paving the way for her return to the village. Between her dad’s tragic news and her daughter’s cancer diagnosis (and IVF decision!) the time has never been more right for a Debbie Dingle comeback. But will it come to pass?

Don’t hold your breath (Credit: ITV)

Will Debbie ever return to Emmerdale?

On paper, however, Debbie’s return seems rather unlikely. Last month, Sarah, Charity and Grumpy were rocked by the news that Debbie had emigrated to Australia with her new man, not bothering to tell anyone as she left.

This marked a fairly definitive exit for Debbie, who the soap seemed to be sweeping under a rug so as to explain her absence from Cain and Sarah’s significant new storylines.

In 2021, a source told The Sun that Charley Webb was done with Emmerdale for good after then-husband Matthew Wolfenden’s race row.

They said: “Charley won’t be going back. The past few months have given her time to think about the future and it is one that doesn’t involve Emmerdale. Matthew being caught up in the row on set fuelled her decision to step away. It’s time for a new adventure for Charley.”

Charley herself told whattowatch.com in 2023: “It felt like the right time for me personally to make that jump from Emmerdale and I don’t have any regrets about it.

“I’m ambitious to push myself and it’s just about choosing the right projects from now on. It’s hard to say no to work, but I trust my agent and I trust the process. Hopefully, I’ve made some good choices so far.”

Having seemingly not looked back since, that seems unlikely to change anytime soon. But might a recast Debbie be in the soap’s future? Sarah, after all, needs her mum, and Debbie’s excuses will only hold up for so long…