Aaron Dingle’s traumatic past was revisited on Emmerdale after he went on a camping trip with John Sugden.

Aaron and John have grown close ever since the latter arrived in the village earlier this year, with their bond blossoming despite their

contrasting approaches to love and relationships.

In Monday’s (December 16) episode, John surprised Aaron with a romantic gesture as he had organised a surprise camping trip for the pair, urging his partner to book time off work as he sought a deeper connection.

Aaron, however, wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of being in the countryside in mid-December, though John pleaded with him to embrace the natural world and take a break from the “prison” of walled homes.

Aaron reluctantly agreed to the trip in the hope that it would further his relationship with John, who promised that the pair would remain “warm” throughout the night. He was true to his word, with the pair sitting around a fire.

Aaron apologised to John for his attitude earlier in the day, with John recalling stories from his upbringing as he explained his affinity for the outdoors. This led Aaron to unpack his own past, informing John that trips such as these brought back painful memories of his father, Gordon.

“He wasn’t my dad – dad’s don’t do the things he did,” remarked Aaron in reference to the abuse he suffered at the hands of Gordon, with John offering to cut the trip short after he realised how it was affecting Aaron.

Aaron, however, was hellbent on moving forward, saying the trip “needed to happen” as he wanted to forge “new memories”. As Aaron headed to the car to fetch some beers, John was seen confronting his own past as he tightly held a necklace bearing the name ‘Aidan Moore’…