Emmerdale Laurel’s exit ‘sealed’ after 24 years in ‘mysterious’ murder twist
Emmerdale's Laurel Thomas is currently involved in an unexpected romance plot with Ross Barton
Charlotte Bellamy plays Laurel Thomas in Emmerdale (Image: ITV)
Fans of Emmerdale believe they’ve exposed Laurel Thomas’ exit after 24 years. ITV soap viewers will know that Laurel (played by Charlotte Bellamy) first arrived in the Dales during Marlon Dingle’s (Mark Charnock) and Tricia Stokes’ (Sheree Murphy) engagement party back in 2002.
Laurel has been involved in several memorable storylines over the years, including her marriages to Ashley Thomas (John Middleton), and the highly publicised cot death plot in which her baby son died. However, it was later revealed that her biological baby was still alive after being accidentally swapped with another baby at the hospital.
That’s not all, as Sally Spode (Sian Reeves) notably tried to murder Laurel on numerous occasions. Laurel also struggled with alcoholism, ahead of her husband Ashley’s heartbreaking battle with vascular dementia, leading to his death in 2017.
Last year, Laurel embarked on a relationship with evil drug dealer Ray Walters (Joe Absolom). She later struggled to come to terms with his murder, as well as his villainous actions in the village.
Laurel is set to embark on a secret affair with Ross Barton (Image: ITV)
Now, it seems as though Laurel could be exploring a new connection with an unexpected resident. This week, she has been seen flirting with Ross Barton (Michael Parr), who memorably hijacked her car back in 2013.
Laurel has since put the past behind her, sharing a kiss with Ross in Dale View this week. The moment of passion occurred just moments before Laurel’s stepdaughter, Gabby (Rosie Bentham), entered the cottage to discuss her feelings for Ross with his brother, Lewis (Bradley Riches).
During Friday’s (May 29) episode, which is now streaming on ITVX, Gabby attempted to seduce Ross by stripping down to a flimsy gown. Ross kindly but firmly rejected her advances, leaving Gabby feeling embarrassed.
Ross later went to visit Laurel at Mulberry Cottage, where Laurel agreed to forget about their kiss. “I didn’t say that,” Ross noted. “[A] one-off, and it wasn’t even one. Half of.” It didn’t look like Ross had finished with Laurel, as he smiled back at her before leaving the cottage.
Later, Gabby confided in her stepmother after being rejected by Ross, with Laurel failing to mention that Ross was hiding upstairs.
Ross rejected Gabby’s advances on Friday (Image: ITV)
As Ross and Laurel’s secret relationship gets underway, several Emmerdale fans have shared their concerns, as many believe that it could lead to Laurel being killed off in a dramatic storyline.
“Who wants to bet that Ross will end up dating Gabby and then secretly have an affair with Laurel – bonus points if they get engaged/married and the affair is found out at the wedding and/or Gabby has a child with him during the relationship,” one person wrote on Reddit.
They added: “And since it’s Emmerdale, let’s also predict that Jai will start seeing Laurel behind Kerry’s back and both affair reveals will happen in the same week, leading to Laurel becoming the most hated person in the village and then mysteriously dying, prompting a months-long whodunnit.”
Someone else agreed: “Now this is what I would watch,” while a third said: “I kinda feel sorry for Gabby. She has the worst luck with men. What if its her that leaves after all this drama?”
Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 8pm on ITV1 and STV, while Coronation Street airs weekday nights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and STV as part of ITV’s new soap power hour scheduling pattern for Coronation Street and Emmerdale
