Who did Belle Dingle kill in Emmerdale?

Belle Dingle makes a confession about the past to her boyfriend Tom King (Picture: ITV)

Belle Dingle first appeared in Emmerdale as a baby in 1998, so viewers have seen the character grow up.

Played by Eden Taylor-Draper since 2005, Belle’s been involved in some intense storylines over the years, particularly as a teenager.

Now, it seems, parts of her past are coming back to haunt her – as we’ll see in upcoming episodes of the hit ITV soap.

Belle has reconnected with troubled ex-boyfriend Tom King (James Chase), and feels the urge to confess to him she was involved in a friend’s death when she was younger.

But who did Belle kill in the soap? And what happened between them?

Here’s all you need to know.

Who did Belle Dingle kill in Emmerdale?

Back in 2014, teenager Belle Dingle accidentally killed friend Gemma Andrews (Tendai Rinomhota).

Belle and Gemma were embroiled in a tense row over friend and love interest Sean Spencer (Luke Roskell), having argued over boys in the past.

Originally, Belle was dating Tom (then played by Mark Flanagan), Sean’s best pal.

But soon after their rollercoaster relationship, Sean showed an interest in Belle and the pair hit it off.

But as Belle and Sean were about to have sex, Gemma’s dad Dom Andrews (Wilbert Charles Johnson) ruined the mood by storming over – to announce that Gemma was pregnant with Sean’s baby.

A livid Belle burst into the Andrews house, demanding to know why Gemma had betrayed her, calling her a ‘tart’.

Plenty more tense scenes between the two followed, with Belle ignoring Gemma at the bus stop and later declaring that Gemma had an abortion to their class – prompting Gemma to push Belle off a school desk.

Eventually, Belle and Gemma confronted each other in a heated exchange on a dark night.

‘It’s not my fault he likes me,’ Belle said. ‘Gemma, I’m not a mindreader, I didn’t know you liked him.’

Gemma retorted: ‘Doesn’t excuse the fact that you’re a selfish cow and a rubbish friend.’

An angry Belle then replied that Gemma had given Sean ‘everything he wanted’ but that he ‘still wasn’t interested’ in her.

The fight turned physical – Gemma responded by slapping Belle in the face, and Belle then pushed Gemma to the ground.

Viewers heard a loud crunch sound as Gemma’s head whacked off a rock.

She was able to struggle up, grabbing her head in agony and seeing blood on her fingers, but told Belle – now concerned about Gemma’s wellbeing – to get away from her.

Gemma got to her feet and screamed ‘I hate you’ – with Belle clapping back: ‘Suits me, have a nice life’ before storming off.

Injured Gemma tried to make it home, but was stumbling, and collapsed on her way back.

She was found the next morning unconscious and rushed to hospital, but didn’t make it.

During the funeral, Belle turned herself into the police and was sentenced to three years for manslaughter in a youth facility – but ended up serving one year after a successful appeal.

Gemma’s death had a huge impact on Belle. She began to believe Gemma was talking to her, with the voice eventually telling her to do bad things – which led to Belle’s schizophrenia diagnosis.

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The 2014 death is on Belle’s mind in upcoming scenes.