Secrets and lies have consumed Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) for months in Emmerdale.
The beloved character started experiencing confusing thoughts about his sexuality after almost kissing Kammy Hadiq (Shebz Miah). Vinny told his friend that the move happened as a joke, and then refused to talk about it.
A supportive Kammy tried to get Vinny to open up, but he pushed him away time and time again. Vinny had the view that if he ignored it for long enough, the problem would go away.
But with Vinny and Kammy’s friendship strong, moments would occur that often left Vinny realising he was attracted to his mate.
He attempted to find clarity by creating an account on an LGBTQI+ forum. It was there Vinny met Mike and after a couple of chats, they organised a few meet ups.
Because Mike made Vinny feel comfortable, he felt he could say the thoughts about his sexuality out loud. Vinny believed he was getting on well with Mike, who also shared his struggles with sexuality and his own relationship.
Unfortunately, Mike turned out to be a very cruel act. The man’s real name was Graham, and he wasn’t interested in what Vinny had to say at all.
During a visit to Vinny’s house, Graham turned on him. He attacked Vinny, stole his money, and then disappeared.
In recent weeks, Vinny decided to make a statement on Graham. This led to him receiving a letter, detailing the date and time of Graham’s court trial.
Vinny pondered over whether or not to attend, but pulled out of the case a few days ago due to fear.
This allowed Graham to head back to the village and threaten Vinny again.
Determined to put a stop to Graham’s behaviour, Vinny changed his mind about the trial. He concluded that he’d be going along, and would tell the court absolutely everything.
Unfortunately, what Vinny hadn’t realised was that Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham) had found out about the trial. She knew that Graham existed, but Vinny failed to tell her the extent of what he had done.
In court, Vinny told everyone about Graham’s threats. Just as he got to the point where he’d confirm he met Graham on a LGBTQI+ forum, Gabby walked in.
Vinny was consumed with panic, but he couldn’t give up. He took a breath, and then told everyone about Graham, almost kissing Kammy, and questioning his sexuality.
Considering Gabby’s previous partner ditched her at the altar because he was secretly gay, history pretty much repeating itself left her devastated.
What was touching to see though, was that Gabby never reacted with anger at Vinny. The two characters were really good friends before they got together so instead of railing at him for ruining her life, Gabby hugged Vinny, telling him his nightmare with Graham was finally over.
Back at home, Vinny attempted to tell Gabby that they could work through things and continue their relationship, but Gabby wasn’t sure.
‘I don’t even know who you are, Vinny’, Gabby said.
As the two characters attempt to process what’s happened, where will they go from here?
‘In an ideal world I would love to see Vinny be honest and tell Gabby the truth. They’ve both done things they shouldn’t have done’, Bradley Johnson said.
‘Being in that relationship they should have confided in each other and have an open conversation rather than going behind each other’s backs and doing things they probably shouldn’t have done.’