Emmerdale hour long special will ‘highlight the real life voices of domestic abuse victims and survivors’

The ITV soap is preparing to tell Belle and Tom’s final chapter.

After enduring domestic abuse and controlling behaviour from her husband, Belle (Eden Taylor Draper) has finally mustered the courage to report him to the police.

As the powerful storyline nears its end, a special hour-long episode will be broadcast this December, shining a light on the real-life experiences of domestic abuse victims and survivors.

Lindsay Oliver CEO of New Beginnings Peer Support said:

“When Emmerdale explained they hoped to include the real life testimonies of domestic abuse victims and survivors within these scenes we knew it would be the truest way for them to authentically close this storyline.”

Speaking about the storyline, producer Laura Shaw reveals that the soap had set out “to show domestic abuse, coercive control and manipulation in all its guises”.

Shaw added:

“The privilege we have on a drama such as Emmerdale is being able to show the reality of a situation like Belle’s over a longer period of time to authentically reflect what so many people go through in real life on a daily basis.

“We knew from the outset that Belle would need some sort of closure on Tom and we know our Emmerdale audience always look forward to our villains getting their comeuppance. We don’t want to spoil the outcome of this story and reveal what will happen to Tom, but needless to say, Belle’s going to be in a much better place by this Christmas.”