What happened to Lydia and Craig in Emmerdale?
SOAP fans were left devastated when Lydia Dingle was raped by her childhood sweetheart Craig Reed.
Emmerdale has aired the heartbreaking aftermath of her ordeal. But who is Craig and what is their history?
Who is Craig Reed and when did he show up in Emmerdale?
Fan favourite Lydia Dingle (played by Karen Blick) was in for a rude shock during a recent (August 17, 2023) instalment of the ITV soap.
Worried about her finances, particularly after Dan Spencer was sentenced to eight years in prison for the death of Lloyd Sawyer, Lydia asked her boss Kim Tate for more hours.
Unfortunately, Kim refused and when a job fair took place in the village, Lydia jumped on the opportunity to find herself another source of income.
During the event, Lydia bumped into a face she probably never expected to see again - Craig Reed.
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While diehard fans of the Yorkshire-based drama may know who Craig is, the new character was revealed to be an old friend of Lydia Dingle from her time spent in a children's home.
Craig reconnected with Lydia for the first time in 33 years and the pair grabbed a coffee together at the fair.
Viewers may have been just as surprised as Lydia to see actor Ben Addis join the soap's line-up.
Ben has been known for his numerous appearances on the small screen.
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He notably played Doctor Parker from 2019 to 2021 on Channel 4's Hollyoaks and his acting credits also include DT Ian Quayle in Maryland, Peter Creed in The Girl Before, David Gilloway in Vera and Bob Chilcott in Doctor Who.
But what exactly happened between his new alter-ego and Lydia Dingle?
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What happened between Craig Reed and Lydia Dingle in Emmerdale?
With Craig showing up in Emmerdale, bosses were teasing a huge storyline ahead for Lydia Dingle.
Craig was initially mentioned way back in 2019, four years before his first appearance on our screens, when Lydia's tragic backstory was finally revealed.
Everything began when the remains of a baby were found at the local school as building work was taking place.
Headteacher Jessie Dingle announced the unsettling news to the community during a police press conference but investigations quickly determined that the baby's mother was a woman called Jenny Finn.
Hotten's forgotten history was brought back to the surface as a result as the school used to be the location for Hotten Grange children's home, where the mysterious Jenny once lived before vanishing in November 1990 at the age of 16.
A photograph eventually confirmed that Jenny was in fact Lydia Dingle herself and the beloved villager's secret finally came to light.
Lydia explained that she fell pregnant during her time at the children's home, where she was sent by her severely ill mother.
At the time, Lydia was known as Jenny and kept her pregnancy a secret.
The young Jenny gave birth in the toilets of the children's home and was devastated when the baby was stillborn.
Jenny blamed herself for the stillbirth and, feeling unable to confide in anybody, she wrapped up her baby son, laying him to rest in nearby woods.
The teen ran away to start afresh, choosing Scarborough for her new life, and moved into a bedsit where she met a girl called Lydia Hart.
Lydia Hart passed away during her stay, prompting Jenny to take her identity, her purse and birth certificate.
Jenny - or, at this point, Lydia - confided in her then-boyfriend Sam Dingle about her past and first mentioned Craig Reed as the father of her stillborn son, which she named Toby.
She revealed that Craig had been her classmate in mathematics and the pair became close friends during their time at the children's home before eventually dating.
Many fans may have expected a heart-warming twist to Lydia's story with the arrival of Craig.
Unfortunately, the newcomer showed his true colours this week.
After giving Lydia a new job, Craig sat down with her and asked her deeply personal questions about her marriage with Sam Dingle.
He dropped hints he was still romantically interested before outwardly confessing his feelings.
But when he became agitated, Craig then launched himself at Lydia and forced himself on her despite her protests.
Craig then drove Lydia back home as if nothing had ever happened.
Lydia decided to remain silent and refused to report her assault to the police - while heartbroken viewers have been wondering if somebody in the village could ever help her.
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Will Lydia ever open up and seek the help she deserves?
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.
