Emmerdale viewers are convinced that Marlon is not April’s biological father, as the teenager continues to be groomed into drug dealing by Ray

Emmerdale viewers suspect that Marlon Dingle may not be the biological father of April Windsor, as the teenager is increasingly drawn into drug dealing.

As regular watchers of the ITV soap will know, April (played by Amelia Flanagan) believes she has killed a man named Callum after defending herself against his vile advances.

This assault occurred after April was manipulated into sex work by local drug dealers Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and her son Ray Walters (Joe Absolom).

However, fans are aware that Callum survived the blow to the head, while Ray keeps this information hidden from April.

In Wednesday’s episode (November 19), Ray issued another ominous threat to April, insisting she must work harder to repay her debt following her recent arrest in Newcastle, according to the Daily Star.

In his latest cunning scheme, Ray explained that Celia has invested significant time and effort in cleaning up April’s messes, which now necessitates repayment.

In a shocking turn of events, the villainous Ray gave April a bundle of cash, encouraging her to spend the day with her boyfriend, Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle), but cautioned her not to raise any further suspicion about her activities.

While at The Hide, Dylan accidentally broke a glass, triggering a flashback for April. She remembered the moment when Callum tried to assault her, and she defended herself by hitting him over the head with a glass bottle.

April was visibly shaken by her vision and quickly left the scene, leaving Ray looking on with concern, fearing she was losing control.

Difficult scenes saw Celia force April into sex work (Image: ITV)

Emmerdale fans have been pleading with April to share her issues with Ray and Celia with her father, Marlon Dingle, portrayed by Mark Charnock.

However, some viewers are convinced that her biological father is actually Ross Barton, played by Michael Parr, due to his past relationship with April’s mother, Donna Windsor, played by Verity Rushworth.

Despite the complicated relationship between April and Ross, he was once the love of her mother’s life and acted as a father figure to the young girl. Could Ross be the one to rescue April from Ray and Celia?

As fans will know, Ross is already the dad to his son Moses, whom he shares with Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins), and she is currently pregnant with his second child. Could Ross have fathered April all those years ago?

Is Ross Barton the real father of April? (Image: ITV)

Fans have taken to Facebook to predict a significant DNA plot twist. One fan wrote: “Hear me out, imagine if April were actually Ross’ child, she looks more like him than Marlon (yes, I know it’s pretend), and it would also make sense why they have such a close connection (I know the history with him and her mum).”

Another viewer declared, “April is Ross’ daughter”. A third agreed: “Think you could be right, but if not, the script writers need you on the panel would be a fantastic twist lol.

“Marlon is April’s biological Dad, not Ross… I’d really like it if it did come out that she really was Ross’s daughter, though, cos I love seeing the bond they have together… x”, another fan added.

Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX