ITV Emmerdale fans fear death twist after Tom King brutally attacks Belle Dingle

ITV viewers are growing increasingly terrified Belle Dingle could be killed off after her husband Tom King brutally punched her on Emmerdale.

The Yorkshire-based soap has been tackling the sensitive topic of domestic violence through the fan favourite’s relationship and marriage to Tom, who is none other than the son of the treacherous Carl King. The vet played by James Chase has tried to exert control over his wife notably by gaslighting her and trying to keep an eye on her every move.

Tom has tried to pressure Belle (portrayed by Eden Taylor-Draper) into having a baby in more recent scenes of the program, which eventually led him to try and break his wife’s friendship with long-time pal, Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley).

Tom viciously punched Belle in the stomach as her domestic abuse ordeal turns increasingly violent

Viewers are now more convinced than ever before that he could kill her

But during Thursday’s (May 16, 2024) trip to the Dales, Mandy and Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) showed up at Dale Head determined to patch things up with Belle, completely unaware they were being watched by Tom through the puppy cam.

Tom kept up appearances once he returned home, acting pleased to see Mandy and Belle talk things through. But when both of Belle’s pals and family members left the home, tensions built up between her and her husband as she figured out he’d been spying on her.

Belle eventually tried to talk some sense into Tom, letting him know his behaviour couldn’t be considered normal – only for her other half to heartlessly punch her in the stomach, leaving a nasty bruise.

This is far from the first time Tom has lashed out physically at his wife but on X, otherwise known as Twitter, viewers knew that by using his fist, Tom was hinting that more sinister times were ahead for Belle. Many soap fans have theorised Belle could be killed off by her abusive husband as violence is only likely to grow. “One of these days Tom is going to put Belle through a wall. Run, Belle. Don’t look back”, a fan warned. Another lamented: “This b****** is going to harm her.”

One fan added: “If belle stays with him after that punch then there is no hope for her!!” But while many fans are expecting Belle to be left at death’s door, another theorised the contrary: “This storyline is obviously leading up to Belle killing Tom.” This prompted a soap fan to add: “When the Dingles find out, Tom will be a dead man and I cannot wait.”

In later scenes, it became clear to Belle that her relationship with Tom needed to end as she kicked her husband out of their home. Many soap fans celebrated but with spoilers confirming she’d be lashing out at Tom herself, some of them knew it would be too early to know if she would survive her ordeal.

Elsewhere, one fan theorised that Jimmy King (Nick Miles) could bring his nephew down: “Tom showing Jimmy his puppy cam could be the start of his down fall.” Another teased a murderous revenge: “Cain will put Tom 6ft underground when he finds out.” But will it really play out as expected?

In scenes airing next week, an overwhelmed Belle urges Tom to seek help for his behaviour and he agrees to talk to village GP Liam Cavanagh. Unbeknownst to Belle, her husband is throwing her under the bus, claiming he is terrified of her and using her own mental health issues against her.

Later on, Tom prevents Belle from seeing Lydia Dingle to celebrate her late mother Lisa Dingle’s memory and things only get worse as she soon pushes Tom over in the streets for many fellow villagers to see, allowing Tom to portray her as an unstable wife.