ROBERT Sugden made a shock return to Emmerdale after six years tonight – by crashing ex Aaron Dingle’s wedding.

The Sun exclusively revealed how actor Ryan Hawley had returned to the soap for a brief stint last month and tonight he made his first appearance.

The star – who played scheming Robert between 2014 and 2019 in the ITV soap – agreed to return as a one-off treat for fans as ex-husband Aaron Dingle prepares to marry Robert’s killer brother John Sugden.

Viewers have watched this week as John has struck again – terrorising his ex Aidan to death after he woke from his coma.

The episode ended with Aaron ending things before getting into his car and preparing to drive off.

However tonight they worked through their issues and made it to their own wedding – just in time for Robert to make a shock appearance determined to win Aaron back.

“Hello Aaron,” he said.

“Miss me?”

But will which brother will Aaron choose? And what will the rest of the village think about Robert being back?

ITV pulled the episode from its streaming service ITVX ahead of its usual 7am broadcast in an effort to maintain the surprise for fans.

However Aaron Dingle actor Danny Miller teased the return of Robert during an appearance on Loose Women.

A source speaking at the time said: “Ryan has a lot of respect for the show and its fans and he really wanted to give them a treat so he agreed to come back for a brief stint.

“It’s going to be a huge surprise for fans especially the Robron fans who have missed Robert desperately since Ryan quit.

“Nothing was seen as being too extreme to keep the secret with fake names on scripts, smuggling him in and out of the studios and keeping everything very tight.”

Now The Sun has confirmed that this wasn’t the extent of Ryan’s appearances on the show.

A source said: “This isn’t the last time fans will see Robert. He will be back for future appearances.”