Emmerdale‘s Dawn Fletcher looks set to uncover Joe Tate’s concerning secret next week.

Dawn is baffled when she finds Joe unconscious as his mysterious behaviour finally spills out into the open.

Joe returned to Home Farm at Christmas, pledging his support to Kim Tate despite their acrimonious past.

He has since managed to worm his way back in with the family, but viewers know that he’s not being totally upfront as he’s secretly struggling behind closed doors. Viewers have seen him repeatedly using painkillers and experiencing agonising symptoms, hinting at an addiction or a secret health issue.

Next week, the Home Farm dynamics change further as Kim suggests that Dawn should quit her job at the vets and start working for her instead.

Dawn agrees, although she regrets it when she finds out that Joe will be her new boss. She accuses him of engineering this scenario following the kiss they recently shared.

As Dawn confronts Joe and accuses him of playing games, their tension turns to passion once again. This time, Dawn and Joe go all the way by sleeping together.

Later, Dawn feels terrible when her husband Billy returns home with their baby son Evan, who has been in hospital for his first outpatient chemotherapy appointment.

As Joe spends time away from the Home Farm estate, he struggles to stay conscious while sitting in his parked car on a remote country road.

Dawn finds Joe slumped at the wheel, with a bottle of pills on the floor. Will she find out exactly what he’s been hiding from everyone since returning to the village?

Emmerdale airs these scenes on Tuesday, January 21 and Thursday, January 23 on ITV1 and ITVX.