Belle Dingle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Emmerdale character | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Belle Dingle | ||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Emily Mather (1998–2005) Eden Taylor-Draper (2005—) | |||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1998— | |||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 25 December 1998 | |||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 25 December 1998 | |||||||||||||||||
| Status | Single | |||||||||||||||||
| Home | Wishing Well Cottage | |||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Schoolgirl | |||||||||||||||||
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Belle Lisa Dingle is a fictional character in the popular ITV soap Emmerdale. She was originally played by Emily Mather from 1998 to 2005 but is now played by Eden Taylor-Draper.
[edit] About Belle
Belle was born on Christmas day 1998 to Zak and Lisa Dingle. Lisa had no idea that she was pregnant. Local vet Paddy Kirk delivered Belle as he was spending Christmas day with the Dingles.
Although she’s been brought up in one of the most dysfunctional families in soap, Belle is one of the most well adjusted children in Emmerdale.
She went missing on Christmas Day 2005. Belle had been at home, being babysat by her Uncle Shadrach, when she was visited by Daz Eden and his ferret. Although Daz told her not to, Belle let the ferret out of his cage and in a panic chased him through the fields. Tragically, as Belle frantically ran to get Spike, she fell down a mine shaft. With Daz trying desperately to help her, the two children got trapped and it looked like they would either freeze or drown. It was a nightmarish time for them and their families who were beside themselves with worry. Brave Daz managed to keep Belle afloat for hours and they were eventually saved.
Back in the bosom of her family, Belle flourished and was overjoyed when her big brother Sam and his fiancée Alice Wilson had baby Samson. Surrounded by the madness of the Dingle clan, Belle is one of the more grown up members.
In February 2006 she was ring bearer at her cousin Marlon Dingle's wedding to Donna Windsor-Dingle.
She moved in with Marlon for a short time in July 2006 while Alice Dingle was dying from cancer. When she was there she refused to have a bath. So Toni Daggert challenged her to a duck race. If Toni's duck won Belle had to have a bath. If Belle's duck won she didn't have to have a bath. The whole village joined in and Belle was thrilled when she won the race. But her happiness was short lived when Zak arrived and told Belle that Alice had died.
Belle started skipping school and asking Shadrach to cover for her. She pretended to be ill but Belle's teacher showed up saying that Belle was hardly ever in school and when she was she didn't apply herself. Shadrach pretended to be her dad as know one else was in. The teacher wanted Shadrach and Lisa to attend a meeting about Belle's schooling. The teacher believed that Shadrach was Belle's real dad.
Determined to find out what's going on, Lisa and Zak ordered Belle back home from her friend's house. Zak and Lisa were relieved that it's nothing else and tell her that the tests are important, otherwise she could end up like Shadrach.
Zak and Lisa were summoned to Belle's school where they were told that their daughter is causing too much disruption in class. Belle told her parent and her teacher that she's bored, but they told her that school isn't meant to be a barrel of laughs. At home, the little mite promises she'll try harder. Lisa and Zak were summoned to the school again for a meeting with Belle's teachers. They were shocked when they discovered the mischievous little girl had disabled the ‘nanny guard' filter on the school computer network and directed students to unsuitable websites. Belle claimed she had no idea what she did wrong, and when she was accused of lying, Zak jumped to her defence, claiming that Dingles don't lie. She was then suspended from school.
With Belle suspended from school, Zak had to play the role of school teacher - and he wasn't too good at it. Belle was dismayed by the maths questions she was set, which all involved either horseracing or fishing!
Over at the Dingles, Zak was struggling to give Belle the lessons she wanted in algebra and spelling. On Lisa's suggestion he offered to take her out to learn about botany. However, instead Zak took Belle along to help strip building materials from a derelict property for Donna and Marlon. Unfortunately Donna and Marlon were unimpressed with the scavenged materials, with Donna declaring they were stolen. Lisa was even less impressed when she found out what Belle had been doing all afternoon.
Lisa felt bad that Belle was missing her school Christmas party so she arranged a surprise party for her. The youngster was delighted at first, but lost enthusiasm when she discovered her school friends were not invited. She begged to go back to school but Zak said there was no way she would be going back there.
Zak and Lisa realised they were failing Belle in their attempts at home education, and approached Jasmine to be Belle's tutor.
Jasmine turned up to tutor Belle for the first time and was shocked to discover her lack of resources. Still, she made do and had Belle recite a Japanese haiku about Shadrach by the end of her lesson.
The Home Education Inspector visited Lisa and Zak to discuss Belle's future. She suggested the youngster should see an educational psychologist initially to help get to the bottom of her disruptive behaviour. Zak was appalled at the idea of his daughter visiting a “shrink” and said it wouldn't happen.
However, it might not have been such a bad idea…. Little Belle was suffering terrible nightmares about Tom's death – which is hardly surprising given the trauma she's seen over the last few weeks! Her fear reached its peak when she was taken back to Home Farm with Jasmine.
After helping Pearl carry her shopping to Home Farm, Jasmine took her eyes off Belle as she was too busy quizzing Pearl over her thoughts on Tom's murder. By the time she finished her gossiping, Belle had run back home, terrified.
Belle hid in the pig-pen to try and avoid the psychologist. Luckily Lisa found her before the psychologist arrived and coaxed her out saying she wouldn't really need wires in her head.
Belle's delighted when she flies through the psychologist's "easy" questions but still needed Zak to reassure her she'll always be a Dingle, even if she's got what “Dustin Hoffman had in that film”
When Chas was arrested for Tom King's Murder, Jasmine tried to get Belle to give her information about it but she wouldn't.
Belle got her test results back, and was shocked to learn she was amongst the cleverest 2% of children her age. “I'm a priggin genius!” she announced gobsmacked, while Zak and Lisa pondered over what this meant for her education.
The education inspector suggested private school was a good option for Belle. Lisa was against the principle of private education, but Zak was excited at the prospect of “the first Dingle to go to Heaton” and Belle was dreaming of magic wands and capes.
Belle's teacher Mrs Burgess was so impressed by the young Dingle's performance at school she told Zak and Lisa she wanted her to sit a mock private school entrance exam. Lisa was against the idea, fearing her daughter could be taken away from her and exclaiming, “She's had more tests than a lab rat!” But she relented and Belle went on to score an impressive 98 per cent, with the first thing she said after finding this out being "which two did I get wrong?". Mrs Burgess reassured Lisa that there was a prestigious all-girls school nearby which Belle could attend and remain living with her parents.
Zak and Lisa took Belle, resplendent in angel wings, to sit her public school entrance exam and were awe-struck by the imposing educational establishment. A pupil showed them around the building and she quickly told the fishes-out-of-water how disenchanted she was with the school. She said, “I want to marry a footballer and be like Victoria Beckham!” Later on, Belle left the examining room in a downcast mood, telling her parents and Mrs Burgess that she had not done well. Zak cheered her up by promising to take her for ice cream.
Belle had some good news and some bad news from her teacher, Mrs Burgess. She'd passed the private school exam with 98%, winning her an automatic place. “Hang on, which two did I get wrong?” she asked chirpily. There were smiles all round until Mrs Burgess revealed that she couldn't get a full scholarship – there'd still be £2,000 to pay. Sadly, Mrs Burgess had underestimated the financial strife faced by the Dingles, and hadn't realised they'd really struggle to scrape together the £2,000 needed to send Belle to private school. As Zak showed Mrs Burgess out, Lisa sadly considered the situation. Lisa and Zak rowed about the private school admission fees, with Lisa arguing that if Belle were to go there she'd forget her roots and become embarrassed by her family. Zak claimed that wouldn't be the case, and that it would be the best education for Belle. However, he was left to break it to her daughter that it was unlikely she'd be able to go.
Rosemary King took a liking to Belle and offered to pay the school fees.
Zak struggled to find a way to convince Lisa to accept Rosemary's offer to pay for Belle's school fees. Sam came running out of the house and pleaded with Zak, “Belle's doing my head in. She keeps telling me things and I can't take it in!” To keep the bored youngster at bay, Zak challenged her to try to beat the world record for staying silent. But it wasn't long before the bright young spark had mastered speed-writing… She really needs something to occupy her!
Zak took Belle to work with him and told her to stay in the van while he went to find Rosemary. Belle sneaked out to take a look around the stables where she was discovered by Perdy. When told her she had only wanted to look at the horses, Perdy exclaimed, “This isn't a zoo!” Rosemary and Zak arrived and Rosemary asked Belle to accompany them, clearly still taken with the youngster. Later she urged Zak to run her offer to pay Belle's school fees past Lisa.
In the hospital waiting room Belle complained that she too felt unwell and, when the doctor examined her, it looked as though she too had meningitis. Belle told the medic that the bright light was causing her great discomfort. Lisa was beside herself with worry and blamed herself for being too wrapped up in her own issues to even notice that both Samson and Belle were unwell. Zak reassured her that it wasn't her fault. Lisa and Zak were at Belle's bedside, fearing for her safety. Lisa blamed herself for ignoring Belle's complaints that she didn't feel well, adding that she shouldn't have got so wrapped up in the school fees argument with Zak. Del and Chas wouldn't hear any of it and pointed out that the health scare wasn't anyone's fault. When Rosemary heard Belle had been rushed to hospital she looked genuinely upset and turned up with flowers at Belle's hospital bed. Her arrival coincided with a visit from the doctor to say that Belle had a nasty case of flu – but she'd be fine. Zak and Lisa saw their little girl was getting better when she complained of being hungry. However, the truffles Rosemary had brought along weren't exactly what she was hoping for!
It was Belle's first day at school so Lisa and Zak donned their Sunday best to accompany her to meet the headmistress. Lisa looked anxious that she wouldn't fit in with the posh surroundings. The headmistress assigned Belle a ‘welcome buddy' called Ayesha, who was meant to keep her company and show her where everything was. The girls got on like a house on fire, with Ayesha even convincing Belle to talk about her Uncle Shadrach in class. The teacher disapprovingly listened as the cheeky youngster described Shadrach's hygiene and flatulence issues. In other words, none of one and lots of the other! When Belle arrived home, thrilled by her first day at school, she handed Lisa a note from her teacher, about a school trip to Germany. A shocked Lisa exclaimed, “Oh you are joking. We can't afford this.” Belle reassuringly replied, “You can pay in instalments.” But Lisa, not wanting to disappoint her daughter, simply said, “I'm not promising anything.”
Belle went to visit Rosemary and told her about her first days at school about how Zak and Lisa could not afford to send her on the trip to Germany. At first Rosemary just said, “Poor Belle. Maybe next time.” But on seeing the child's sad face, she gave in and handed her a cheque. But later on Zak returned the cheque to Rosemary, telling her that Belle, “shouldn't be coming up here begging for money.” Rosemary replied, “She didn't, I offered.” Zak insisted his family were not “a charity” until Rosemary explained she was once hard up and would have appreciated help if it were offered. Zak then decided he would ask Lisa if they could accept the money. Pleased, Rosemary said, “Think about Belle. She's the important one here.”
Louise was running the girls through their paces for the beauty pageant. When Belle took to the stage to strut her pre-pubescent stuff, Louise cut her down to size saying, “This isn't a pageant for brats.” Later, after Jasmine had taught her some feminist philosophy, Belle hit back, telling Louise, “You're mustard dressed as lamb, you are.” Bless her, she might be a brainbox, but she still reads from the same page as the rest of the Dingle clan.
Curious as ever, Belle asked Shadrach about Zak’s fighting days and then asked her father why he gave it up. “Mug’s game,” Zak replied, more because he thought he should be setting a good example to his impressionable daughter. Later that morning, it turned out Belle had already got a taste for the bare knuckle game when she floored a cocky Val outside the village shop. Lisa was horrified. Lisa and Belle helped Val up, apologising profusely for the attack. Needless to say Belle was in for a good telling off and Zak got an earful when they returned home for leading his daughter astray.
Belle attended a spa day with her posh school friends. Lisa felt guilty at never having any of Belle's friends round to their house and suggested belle throw a party. The youngster wasn't keen and told Rosemary she was emmberassed of the dingle home. Rosemary then said they could hold the party at Mill Cottage.
Belle set about inviting all her friends to her party, but failed to tell Zak and Lisa about it. Rosemary said she would need their permission before the party could go ahead. Belle blackmailed Shadrach into phoning Rosemary and pretending to be Zak. The next day they held the party and Belle was quick to impress her posh friends. She pretended that she lived at mill cottage and Rosemary was her auntie and her son Grayson Sinclair was her cousin. However, Lisa found out about the secret party when she phoned Ayesyha's mum to organize a sleepover for Belle. When Belle returned Home, she received a good ticking off. Belle was later upset when she overheard her parents discussing taking her out of private school.
Zak and Lisa had a sleepless night worrying about how they could afford to keep Belle in private school now they had cut all ties with Rosemary. They called Belle’s head teacher, Mrs Kennedy to find out if the governors would let her stay on for free. The next day – the day of the spelling competition - they went to see Mrs Kennedy. The news wasn’t good. “Belle is an outstanding pupil,” she said. “But even if we could make exceptions, there is no spare money in the budget.” Zak and Lisa were devastated and knew they would soon have to tell Belle.
The Dingles told their daughter she would have to leave the school, lying that Rosemary’s money had run out and they could not afford the fees. Belle later won the spelling competition and gave a speech about how much her school had made her enjoy learning. Lisa cried in the audience, unable to bear that her intelligent daughter was being torn away from her excellent education.
Back at home, Zak realised there was only one thing for it. He would have to compete in the bare-knuckle fight against O’Shea to raise the funds so that Belle could stay at her school. Lisa begged him to rethink it but his pride wouldn’t let him. “I'm gonna take on O'Shea and I'm gonna win - for our Belle,” he said.
Zak took on O'Shea at an abandoned shed surrounded by thuggish spectators and some members of the Dingle family including Belle. Although the fight seemed to be going against Zak for most of its duration he made a brave comeback and seemed to have O'Shea beat but before he could finish him off the shed was raided by the police after they had been alerted by Sam Dingle who had been worried that Zak might be badly hurt by the statuesque O'Shea. Even though Zak had all but beat O'Shea the fight was unfinished and Zak couldn't claim the money. Fortunately Debbie Dingle has lent money to the family allowing them to send Belle back to school.
Belle wrote and starred in the village pantomime which was entitled Cinderbella.
Belle was one of the few villagers to attend Rosemary King's funeral and the only person, except possibly Grayson, to express sincere grief at her parting.
In May 2008, the family again struggled to pay for Belle's school fees. They refused to borrow more money from Debbie, then sold manure from the King farm, but Matthew forbade them when he found out. Belle covered his car in manure, and Zak forced her to apologise. Eli accidentally backed the van into a plasma TV Matthew had bought for a presentation. The money for the replacement came out of the bonus Matthew was going to give Zak. When Jimmy convinced Matthew to change his mind, Matthew still said he wouldn't give him the money until the new TV arrived. A furious Zak quit his job and refused to go back. Lisa and Zak hoped Belle would remain in the dark, but another student found out from her father and told Belle. Belle was crushed, but a few days later, told her family that she was sick of the school anyway, as she was a Dingle and Dingles weren't supposed to be "posh".
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