Emmerdale 's Belle Dingle could be about to reunite with a villainous ex, if reports of a comeback are true.
Just weeks after soap boss Jane Hudson confirmed love would be in the air for Belle this summer, it's been reported that one of her exes is about to head back to the village after 10 years away.
It's thought Thomas King, the son of killer Carl King, is returning to the soap a decade on from his departure in 2013.
He was dating Belle at the time, and tried to run away with the teenager only to leave her behind.
It's believed they haven't been in contact since, but now Thomas is set to return to the village and surprise his uncle Jimmy King.
Details are yet to be confirmed by the soap, but according to sources the storyline could be "explosive" and there is "chaos" ahead.
So could it be a coincidence that Thomas is arriving just as soap boss Jane hinted at a romance storyline for his ex Belle?
While recent scenes hinted at a possible romance for Belle and friend Vinny Dingle, not all fans were onboard with this given his wife Liv Flaherty died in October.
Could it make more sense for Belle to reunite with her ex and one of her first loves, especially given it was teased it might not be smooth sailing?
Jane revealed of the romance for Belle: "She’s not gonna find love with Jacob but she is gonna find love! We’ve got a bit of summer loving for Belle, so you need to see what happens.
"But that is finally going to happen - Belle is going to finally fall in love with someone. You never know what might happen but it could be the most perfect relationship we’ve ever seen."
Belle's been unlucky in love over the years with a string of heartbreaks, from dating serial killer Lachlan White to her romance with evil Jamie Tate.
The character was recently dating Ellis Chapman before he left the village a year ago.
As for Thomas, a source told The Sun: "Tom’s return is going to be explosive. He shocks his uncle Jimmy when he returns to the village and it’s not clear why he’s back.
"Fans will be glued to their screens watching Tom’s comeback unfold — and his presence could cause chaos.
"They will all be asking if he’s as evil as his dad Carl and wondering why he’s returned."
Newcomer James Chase has reportedly been signed up to play the returning character, while Emmerdale has yet to announce this or the character's return.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
