Debbie Dingle

Debbie Dingle (also Jones and Barton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Charley Webb. Webb has taken maternity leave three times, with the first time being in 2010 and the second throughout 2016 with Debbie departing on 1 January 2016. She returned on 24 January 2017 and then went on maternity leave for a third time in 2019 as Debbie left for Scotland on 13 August 2019. She returned for a short stint on 25 December 2020 and made her final appearance on 11 February 2021.

She was introduced as the foster child of Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) and Emily Kirk (Kate McGregor) before being revealed as the daughter of Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) and Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley). She has featured in many storylines on ''Emmerdale'' including her relationships with Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher), which lead to her pregnancy at 15, Jasmine Thomas (Jenna-Louise Coleman) and Scott Windsor ( Ben Freeman), her daughter Sarah being diagnosed with a blood disorder, her disastrous relationship with Cameron Murray (Carl King's, Gennie Walker's and Alex Moss's real killer) (Dominic Power), which sparked the 2013 week of episodes known as "The Woolpack Siege,"; a relationship with Pete (Anthony Quinlan), who she later marries and her affair with Ross (Michael Parr), a relationship with Tom Waterhouse later revealed as Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) and being conned by him but later forgiving him and getting back together, accidentally having Ross as the victim of an acid attack, learning Sarah suffers from heart failure and needs a transplant, and dealing with the false revelation that Cain killed Joe (although it was later revealed that he is alive).

Storylines

Upon arriving in Emmerdale in December 2002, Debbie was fostered by Paddy (Dominic Brunt) and Emily Kirk (Kate McGregor). When Debbie shows Sam Dingle (James Hooton) a photograph of her biological mother, he recognizes the young woman as his cousin, Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins). They eventually meet and she gets close to her stepfather, Chris Tate (Peter Amory), but after meeting her biological father, Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), the trio become a family and Chris is sidelined. This affects him extremely, resulting in him cancelling plans to adopt Debbie.

Debbie, Charity and Cain move into Pear Tree Cottage and live together until Charity is found guilty of Chris's murder, so she and Cain move in with the Dingles. When the house becomes over-crowded, she and Cain move in with Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher) and Daz Eden (Luke Tittensor). Debbie's behaviour becomes erratic as she shows an interest in glamour and boys, resulting in her capturing Daz's affections. Debbie, however, prefers Andy and local curate, Ethan Blake (Liam O'Brien), who is engaged to Niamh O'Connor (Tracey Moore). Debbie loses her virginity to Andy and he tells her that he has a crush on her. They begin dating, until Charity and Cain find out. Charity accepts the relationship but Cain disapproves and blackmails Andy into ending it, unaware that Debbie is pregnant. Andy's wife Katie Sugden (Sammy Winward) had discover her affair with Andy and was pregnant with his child, causing angry at her and nearly divorce with him. Distraught, she hides it and plans to abandon the baby after giving birth but Daz sees her bump. Daz is with her as she gives birth and names her daughter, Sarah. Debbie and Andy reunite briefly but it is short-lived and his brother, Robert Sugden (Karl Davies), becomes romantically involved with Debbie. She, however, is unaware that he has an ulterior motive until he ends the relationship when Debbie tells him that she feels baby Sarah should stay with the Dingles while they go travelling. He then tells her that he wanted Sarah, not her. Feeling unable to cope with motherhood and knowing that Emily is leaving, she asks her to take Sarah. The Dingles are horrified so she moves in with Ashley Thomas ( John Middleton), where she makes friends with Jasmine Thomas (Jenna-Louise Coleman). Debbie confesses her love for Jasmine and they date for a while until Cain deliberately tempts Jasmine into sleeping with him. Wanting to hurt her, he makes sure Debbie sees them together. Debbie and Jasmine break up for a while but reconcile when Debbie learns that Jasmine is pregnant and wants an abortion. Sadie King (Patsy Kensit), pitying Jasmine, pays for her to go private and Debbie, knowing that Cain wants another child, tells him this, leading him to kidnap Sadie and Tom King (Ken Farrington) for financial gain to start a new life. Debbie tries to convince Cain to stay but he leaves and gives her some money.

Emily returns Sarah to Andy and Debbie tells Andy that she does not want to be a mother. Lisa Dingle (Jane Cox) deliberately asks Debbie to visit when Sarah is there, hoping to create a mother-daughter relationship. She's successful and Debbie asks Andy for access but he refuses. Debbie starts dating Scott Windsor ( Ben Freeman) but that ends when Scott leaves. Debbie gets Eli Dingle (Joe Gilgun) to pose as Scott so she can get a bank loan. Debbie, Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) and Lexi King ( Sally Oliver) decide to stage a jewellery scam at Home Farm so they can steal a valuable necklace and share the proceeds. Debbie wants more money so she gets Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) to help scam Chas and Lexi but Lexi discovers the truth and the pair fight in the street, accidentally dropping the necklace down a drain.

When Andy is sent to prison, Jo Stiles (Roxanne Pallett), Andy's ex-wife, asks Debbie to look after Sarah, which Debbie enjoys. Debbie discovers that Andy is hitting Jo and worries about Sarah's safety, especially after she is suspended from nursery for biting another child. Debbie gives Jo money so she and Sarah can leave but Jo stays and allows Andy to see Sarah again, annoying Debbie. However, this does not last long as Jo leaves Sarah with Debbie and the Dingles as Debbie gets involved in the murder of PC Shane Doyle ( Paul McEwan), Jasmine's ex-boyfriend. Jasmine is the real culprit as she attacks Shane when he attacks Debbie and kills him. She, Debbie and Eli then attempted to conceal what they'd done but Jasmine wants to confess especially after Ross Kirk ( Samuel Anderson) is charged with his murder. Debbie persuades her not to and they start dating again. They decide to run away together but the police catch Debbie and arrest her. With Jasmine on the run; Debbie is left to take the blame for the murder. Eli enlists Danielle Hutch to harm Debbie, so she is sent to hospital as part of a rescue attempt but Debbie refuses to go. At Debbie's court hearing, Jasmine arrives and admits murdering Shane. Debbie and Jasmine are found guilty and Debbie is released because of time served and her time in prison has made her realize that she wants Sarah back. Natasha Wylde (Amanda Donohoe), concerned about Andy's reputation now that he is dating her daughter, Maisie, pays for Debbie to sue Andy for custody. However, Maisie Wylde ( Alice Coulthard) does not approve. Maisie and Debbie have a fight and Debbie thinks that she has ruined her chances but Maisie ends her relationship with Andy so she will not be involved. Cain helps by asking Aaron Livesy ( Danny Miller) to help. Aaron is dating Andy's sister, Victoria, and he persuades her to play truant from school and steal from local shops. Cain reports Andy to social services, informing them of Victoria's behaviour and his past domestic abuse. The social worker is concerned about Andy's ability to run the farm and look after Victoria and Sarah even before Jo confirms the domestic abuse allegation so Andy withdraws his claim for residency and Debbie is awarded sole residency.

Debbie dates Michael Conway but he admits that he already has a girlfriend and they are due to marry within days. He insists that he loves Debbie so she tells him to call off his wedding but he cannot because his fiancée is pregnant. On attending the wedding, Debbie and Cain are shocked to discover that his bride is Charity. He calls the wedding off, wanting Debbie back, but she ignores him, choosing to build relationships with Charity and Noah instead until she catches Charity stealing Cain's money. Cain and Charity later reconcile but annoyed at their inability to get along, Debbie takes a job in Jersey. She returns months later and moves back in with her parents. Later she reveals that her boss tried to take advantage of her and she got revenge by humiliating him and stealing money. Debbie starts a new relationship with Cameron Murray (Dominic Power), a man she previously had an affair with in Jersey, and discovers she is pregnant but has a miscarriage and is annoyed that Cameron doesn't seem bothered.

Sarah is diagnosed with a blood disorder, fanconi anaemia. Debbie and her family campaign to find a bone marrow donor and are successful but the donor pulls out. Debbie and Andy do not like the idea of the bad side effects of other treatments and decide to have a child together to create a new donor. Cameron and Andy's girlfriend, Alicia Gallagher (Natalie Anderson), are uncomfortable with the idea but Debbie and Andy go ahead. They emotionally blackmail Cameron and Alicia to agree by telling them that they'd do the same if their child was seriously ill. When they are refused IVF and artificial insemination attempts are unsuccessful, Debbie sleeps with Andy and is overjoyed to discover that she is pregnant but Cameron has had enough and leaves. Charity, thinking it was artificial insemination, persuades him to give Debbie another chance but Andy tells Cameron the truth. On learning this, Debbie begs Cameron to stay, for Sarah's sake as well as hers. Andy and Debbie learn that the baby is a match for Sarah after a CVS test. Cameron and Debbie eventually reunite after Debbie admits he is the only person she has ever truly loved. Andy is hurt but comes to terms with the situation when Debbie learns that she is expecting a baby boy while Cameron starts an affair with Chas. A few months into her pregnancy, Sarah asks if she, Debbie and Andy can go to Paris. Cameron wants to go but lets Andy take his ticket, claiming that he is going to Jersey to see his kids but goes away with Chas. Cain is suspicious when Cameron's son rings, looking for him. A few weeks later, Debbie is shocked when Cain reveals his suspicions about Cameron and realizes that she has doubts too. When Debbie and Cain confront Cameron, he lashes out at Cain but accidentally hits Debbie. She hits her head and fears she may lose her baby. Fortunately the baby is fine. Back home, Sarah asks if her brother still has "the magic potion" to save her and Debbie is tearful as she realizes how much Sarah wants her brother and how hurt she would be if anything happened to him. This, however, brings Cameron to his senses as he realizes how much he loves Debbie.

Debbie is angry when Cameron forgets to check on Sarah when she is ill because he is on the phone to Carl about the £30,000 Carl is blackmailing them for. Meanwhile, Debbie gets home from shopping with Charity to find that Sarah has collapsed. When rushed to hospital, Debbie, Cameron, Charity and Victoria discover Sarah is in a pre-leukaemic state. Debbie demands to be induced but is refused, as her son will be premature, and could die. In ''Emmerdale''s live episode to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Debbie gave birth to a baby boy called Jack, after Andy's adopted father. When Debbie returns from hospital, she is unaware that Cameron killed Carl King ( Tom Lister) the night before. Debbie finds 6 new messages from Carl on her phone, 3 pictures and 3 texts of Cameron sleeping with Chas so Debbie threw Cameron out before showing the pictures to Cain and Charity. Cameron begged Chas to leave but they were stopped by Charity, Cain, Debbie and Zak. The police were called and Cain and Charity were arrested for breach of the peace. Chas confessed to Carl's murder and she was arrested. Cain and Charity were released without charge but Chas was charged with Carl's murder, despite pleading guilty to manslaughter. Cameron stood by Chas and declared his love for her in front of Debbie. As revenge, Debbie set fire to his possessions and trashed his truck. Cameron declared his love for Chas in the pub in front of Dan and Charity. Charity and Cain then swore to get revenge for Debbie.

Debbie feels she needs to provide more for baby Jack and Sarah after Sarah begins her chemotherapy after her transplant and decides to set up a delivery firm, sleeping with newcomer Dom (Wil Johnson) to get his contacts. After it is revealed that Dom's boss, Pete, does drug work, he tries to get Debbie to do drugs runs for him and threatens Sarah, so Debbie terminates the contract. Debbie hires Robbie Lawson (Jamie Shelton) as her assistant and they begin selling cheap vodka. Their biggest orders were from Eric and Val Pollard (Charlie Hardwick