Tuesday’s (8 July) episode of the ITV soap saw Dawn and Kim head for a spot of lunch, with Kim sharing that she had “found somebody” after she touched upon the “thrills” of a new relationship.

The character explained that she had gone on a couple of coffee dates with her new, having first met him at the races. She stressed that it was “nothing serious”, but Dawn correctly guessed that Kim wanted to pursue a romance.

Dawn initially expressed that she found the situation “weird”, given it was her stepmother’s first relationship since the death of her father Will Taylor, who was married to Kim. The latter remarked that it was just “early days”, adding that her new man wouldn’t “replace” Will.

As the pair visited Will’s grave, Kim revealed that her prospective partner was called Eddie. In response, Dawn gave her blessing as she reasoned that her father would want Kim to be happy for the rest of her life.

Dawn later shared the news with Joe, though he didn’t seem too interested in the developments. With Eddie yet to be seen on-screen, will there be a traditional soap twist? Or will Kim live happily ever after?

While Kim is currently in the mood for love, it was recently revealed that the iconic character will soon have a new enemy following Celia Daniels’s arrival, with the newcomer set to clash with the Emmerdale legend.

“Let’s put it this way – Kim and Celia will be having the odd chat!” teased Jaye Griffiths, who portrays Celia. “Kim will have a competitor – we have got two women who don’t apologise for taking up space.

“Kim does have some humanity but Celia lacks it completely. There are occasions when Kim recognises her behaviour is out of order whereas Celia never does that… Most women my age would always stand aside – Celia won’t be!”