Emmerdale’s Eden Taylor-Draper tells Soaplife that Belle is tormented by Gemma’s voice inside her head!
Belle continues to look tormented and act out of character, but now we know the cause – she can hear her dead friend Gemma’s voice in her head. She is clearly suffering from a mental illness, but Belle doesn’t want help and continues to struggle on alone. “She is very disturbed,” explains Eden. “She has mentioned Gemma when talking to Hamish the pig, but at this point, she doesn’t want to tell anyone else what’s happening.”
How is Belle feeling in herself?
“She is anxious, sad and paranoid. She is finding it hard to understand what is going on in her own mind. It doesn’t help that there is little communication between her and the rest of the family.”
Does she really believe that Gemma is talking to her?
“Yes, she thinks that Gemma is tormenting and bullying her. She is not seeing her - this is coming from within her own mind. She is doing certain things because she thinks Gemma is telling her to.”
Why doesn’t she tell people that she can hear Gemma?
“She feels really guilty about what she did to Gemma… Although what is happening is having a negative effect, her best friend is still with her in some way and Belle doesn’t understand if it is right of wrong. She feels it is her responsibility to deal with it and doesn’t want to upset the Dingles in any way.”
Was it 'Gemma' who told Belle to rob Edna?
“Yes, ‘Gemma’ told Belle that Edna [Shirley Stelfox] hates her and that she should hurt her. Belle doesn’t have a problem with Edna, but she felt compelled to attack her in some way to make ‘Gemma’ calm down.”
What does she make of Lachlan (Thomas Atkinson)?
“Her friendship with him is important to her. He becomes something of a rock, although he doesn’t understand what is going on with her, she feels a connection with him. They ‘get’ each other and form a good friendship.”
What will Belle’s Christmas be like?
“It is her birthday, but it is not a day all about Belle. A few things go wrong for her unfortunately.”
Emmerdale, ITV. Click here for dates and times.
