Emmerdale exit for beloved villager after six years on ITV soap leaving fans devastated

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD: Emmerdale fans are in for another heartwrenching week in the ITV Dales after one beloved villager is set to leave the programme.

Emmerdale fans are concerned for beloved villager Bear Wolf (Image: ITV)

Emmerdale fans are set to be dealt a devastating blow this week as one beloved villager bids farewell to the ITV Dales after six years. Family man Bear Wolf (played by Joshua Richards) will leave the village in a dramatic send off.

The character was introduced to viewers back in 2019 as Paddy Kirk’s (Dominic Brunt) biological father. The father-son duo have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years, but have ultimately had a very strong relationship – until recently. Due to Bear’s sudden change in behaviour, he has clashed multiple times with Paddy. Fans have shared their concerns for the star over the past few months following multiple bust-ups with Paddy.

The villager has been fighting with his son Paddy for weeks (Image: ITV )

As fears grew, Paddy attempted to get through to his dad to work out what was on his mind, but he struggled. As a Bear became more frustrated and forgetful, Paddy convinced himself that something serious was going wrong.

He tried to do a memory test on his dad in the pub last week, but it ended up with Bear angrily grabbing Paddy and pinning him against the wall. On Monday (June 30), Paddy was attcked by a dog that was found on Celia Daniels’ (Jaye Griffiths) farm.

Thankfully, Bear saved Paddy’s life due to his quick-thinking and calling for an ambulance in time, but things quickly took a turn. As he recovered from the terrifying incident, Bear began to verbally attck Paddy, claiming that he lets people walk all over him and that his loved ones are afraid to say things in case he becomes suicidal.

It’s fair to say his blunt words hurt Paddy even more than the arm injury he sustained from the dog. In tonight’s episode (July 1), tensions rose when Paddy attempted to repair the bond with Bear.

When reconciliation quickly became impossible, Paddy decided to put his mind elsewhere. Paddy took a bolt gun from the vets and went to the spot where the dog attcked him. He was found by Celia, who claimed that she had already shot the stray dog.

The confused local is set to leave the ITV Dales this week (Image: ITV)

Celia got the upper hand in the confrontation and scared Paddy away by practically screaming in his face. With his self-esteem at an all-time low, Paddy unleashed his anger on his dad and fumed that it would be better if he moved out.

Heartbroken, Bear packed up his things and left the village, with Mandy Dingle (Lida Riley) and Paddy under the impression that he was off to get away from the village and see a friend in Ireland.

But as he stood outside, Bear called his friend and learnt that the plans had changed. Feeling unwanted, Bear got in his hire car and furiously drove away. This is the last time we’ve seen of Bear – but thankfully his absence isn’t for good. The once-loved character will return to the village in a few weeks’ time, as part of a mysterious new storyline.

Producer Laura Shaw teased: “He’s going to go off screen for a little while and go missing, and when he comes back, what you’ll see is a very different Bear in a really different situation and we’re all going to be watching saying, ‘What the hell has happened here?’”