Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale airs heartwarming scenes on Christmas Day as Belle King is finally reunited with Piper the dog.

The ITV soap will revisit an unresolved element of the Belle and Tom storyline as Piper's true fate is exposed to all.

Earlier this year, Belle's abusive husband Tom lied to her by claiming that Piper had died after he'd deliberately knocked her over in the road.

Tom was in fact manipulating Belle to cause her more misery, as Piper had survived the incident. Viewers discovered the real story when Tom secretly handed Piper over to new owners.

piper the dog in emmerdale
ITV

Related: Best streaming services

What to Read Next

Later this month, the reality of the situation starts to dawn on Belle as she tells Vinny Dingle that she never saw Piper's body.

Well aware of how far Tom would go to cause her distress, Belle voices the theory that he may have lied to her about Piper's death.

Belle suggests digging up Piper's grave to get some answers. Vinny reluctantly helps her and they're both shocked to realise that Piper's body isn't in her coffin.

vinny, belle emmerdale
ITV

Related: Emmerdale's Tom King in tense prison scenes in 25 new spoiler pictures

As Belle considers her next move, she wonders whether to visit Tom to see if he'll tell her where Piper really is.

Fortunately, Vinny and his girlfriend Gabby Thomas are already on the case as they try to deal with the situation themselves.

On Christmas Day, there are emotional scenes as Belle visits her dad Zak's grave. It's her first Christmas since Zak passed away and she's keen to pay her respects to the Dingle family patriarch.

Belle's day takes an unexpected turn as Piper rushes over to her, after being found by Vinny and Gabby.

belle king, piper, vinny dingle, emmerdale
ITV
belle king, piper, emmerdale
ITV

Related: Emmerdale lines up change for Aaron and John's relationship

As Belle takes in the Christmas miracle, it seems that the festive season could mark the beginning of a positive new chapter for her.

Emmerdale airs these scenes on Christmas Day on ITV1 and ITVX.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage


If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, organisations including Refuge (www.refuge.org.uk), New Beginnings Peer Support (www.newbeginningspeersupport.com) and Women's Aid (www.womensaid.org.uk) can provide further support and information. The 24-hour, freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247. The US National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text LOVEIS to 22522.