'Emmerdale' fans horrified as show LEGEND makes hasty exit from the soap

Last night's Emmerdale left fans surprised as iconic Kim Tate made a sudden departure from the village. 

Fans of the soap have seen Kim go through a lot recently, from trying to remain positive that her son, Jamie Tate, is still alive after his car plunged into a lake after veering off the road, to losing her granddaughter Millie when Andrea's mum came to take her away from the village. 

Little does Kim know, Jamie is alive and well, having faked his own death, meaning he and Millie are now reunited and living with Andrea's mother. 

But while Kim remains in the dark about her son's master plan, she has recently shown her more vulnerable side after falling for her groundsman, Will Taylor. 

The pair have grown closer over recent months, with them finally making their romance official recently. It seemed like they were a match made in heaven, especially when Kim even promised to keep Will's secret that he buried corrupt police officer Malone's body on the grounds of Home Farm.

But despite the fact she has fallen for Will, Kim can't stop her gameplaying when it comes to business, and last night's episode saw Will overhear her blackmailing Chas and Paddy after they stole her racehorse.

Desperate to get Kim off their backs after she made Paddy drug her prize racehorse, the pair stole the horse to use as a bartering tool against the Home Farm queen. However, their plan fell flat when Kim outsmarted them... only for Will to overhear everything and talk Kim down.

In a surprising twist, Kim actually listened to Will and backed down in the feud against Chas and Paddy... even making Al Chapman delete the video footage he was using against the pair. However, that doesn't mean she was ready to move forwards in her romance with Will.

Will was horrified to get to Home Farm to find Kim's bags packed, only for her to admit she was leaving the village and might never return.

Fans were shocked by the twist that they didn't see coming...

The moment Kim's back was turned Bernice wasted no time in trying to get her claws into Will. The pair had a heart to heart after Will defended Bernice to Nate, who was fuming over Gabby upsetting Tracy earlier in the day. 

Bernice appeared to like the fact that Will came to her aid, and soon the wine was flowing and she was flirting. But, while Will made excuses about seeing to a loose roof tile and making a hasty exit, could there be a future between the pair now that Kim is out of the picture? 

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays - see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITV Hub now.