There won’t be a dry eye in the Emmerdale-watching land at Christmas, as Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-

Draper) gets a joyous reunion with a dear friend she thought she would never see again.

Back in August, Belle’s abusive husband Tom King (James Chase) carried out one of his most sick and

cruel acts, when he pretended that Belle’s dog Piper had been in a road accident and subsequently died.

Viewers had taken the adorable little dog to their hearts, too, so there was massive dismay as we saw Tom taking the dog and giving her away to some strangers, telling them that Piper’s owner had been neglectful to her.

Back in the village, Tom told Belle that he’d had to put Piper to sleep because her injuries were too severe. Belle, who was devastated, knew that he was to blame, but at that point nobody else believed her.

In upcoming episodes Belle makes a realisation, as Eden Taylor-Draper told us.

‘She never actually saw Piper’s body, she never really saw what actually happened, she was just told,’ she explained.

‘I think she has that in her head and she can’t get it out of her head. And Tom’s obviously lied about so much, so she just thinks, “We never saw the evidence. We buried a casket, but who knows what’s in there?”’

Determined to find out the truth, Belle and Vinny (Bradley Johnson) dig up Piper’s grave and open the coffin.

‘It’s not empty, there’s literally just one brick in there, which is grim,’ Eden revealed. ‘She opens it and sees the brick and it’s such a mixture of emotions, but the main thing is, she’s out there so I’m going to find her.’

This proves difficult, but eventually Vinny and Gabby (Rosie Bentham) track the dog’s new owners down and explain what Tom did. The new owners agree that Piper is Belle’s dog and she should be returned.

Eden described the emotional moment that Belle sees her dog again.

‘She is by her dad’s grave having a moment then all of a sudden you just see Piper running up with a bow on. It was so cute! It was like, “This is the best day!” It was really nice, especially it being Christmas. I think it was lovely and it felt like a real treat. For Belle it’s obviously huge.’

As Belle begins the process of healing from the ordeal she’s been through with Tom, Eden reflected that Piper will be an important part of the story going forward.

‘Everyone’s so passionate that this story doesn’t end when this side of the story ends. There’s a whole other world to explore with it. I guess this is the side that you don’t often see, the aftermath and the healing. I’m really proud that it’s something they’re so focused on getting right as well.

‘100% I think Piper will be a part of that journey. She’s been as much a part of it as me and James. It has been overwhelming how much everyone loves Piper.’