Emmerdale fans believe Nate Robinson could be suffering from a health condition which rears its head in upcoming scenes on the ITV soap.
Nate, who is played by Jurell Carter, has taken a back seat on the Dales lately, amid major storylines involving the Dingle clan and little Kyle Winchester’s potential conviction.
However, during Thursday evening’s hour-long instalment of the soap, Nate appeared to be ailing as viewers noticed he was wearing a sling.
He also left his girlfriend, Naomi (Karene Peters) upset as he struggled to stay awake for their date.
“Nate, you're supposed to be ready by now," Naomi quizzed. "Really?" he asked. "Sorry I must have nodded off."
Clearly impatient by Nate's tiredness, Naomi said: "Go get showered, and changed, put on some nice smells so we can get out of here."
As Naomi insisted she still wanted to go on their date, Nate said: "We could always cuddle up on the sofa, watch some cosy TV and get a takeaway."
"Like we do every night," Noami hit back. "Plus, you'll just end up falling asleep while watching Murder She Wrote."
"It gets lonely being your girlfriend," Naomi told him as he replied: "I am tired and my arm is still hurting."
After the scenes, Emmerdale viewers took to social media to share their concerns about Nate, begging the question of whether he could face a heartbreaking health diagnosis.
One viewer wrote: “Hope there's nothing wrong with Nate health-wise.. sleeping so much!” as another questioned: “What happened to Nate?”
Another joked: “Did we find out why Nate had his arm in a sling or is it a fake one so he has an excuse to avoid Naomi's demands?”
Meanwhile, a fellow fan answered: “Sam was stabbed through the shoulder but he seems fine. Yet poor Nate is still struggling.”
It comes after soap bosses confirmed Nate would join Ethan Anderson and Marcus Dean in a risky plan to take down the new villain – and Ethan's boss – Greg.
Speaking about the upcoming storyline, executive producer Jane Hudson said: "We are going to see Ethan go through quite a journey with Marcus on screen, which will result in Ethan being young, free and single – and where will that lead us to?"
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV.
Got any theories or thoughts on the storyline? Let us know in the comments section below.
