EMMERDALE fans are in shock after Lydia Dingle quit the village.
The fan favourite – who is played by actress Karen Blick in the ITV soap – made the decision to leave the village after discovering the truth about what happened to her rapist Craig.
Viewers know Craig was killed by Kim Tate’s horse – while she was riding him – and she and Cain Dingle watched him die.
Having got the truth about Craig – or as much as Kim would tell her – out of Kim, Lydia was struggling to come to terms with any of it.
She went to see Mandy and broke down with worry over her marriage.
And then she made a decision and went home to tell Sam.
She told him: “I’m struggling Sam and I can’t keep pretending I’m not.
“I’m going to go and stay with my mum for a while. I love you. I just need some space to work things out. I just need to get away from everything before I fall to pieces.”
Samson overheard and was horrified, begging Lydia not to go but she assured him that it was only for a while.
“I love you,” she told Samson.
“And I love your dad. I’m not going to the moon. I’ll be calling you all the time, video calls and voice messages.
“You’ll be sick of the sight of me. I want you both to have the most fantastic Christmas.”
With her bags packed, she told the pair of them: “Right, that’s me sorted.
“You know, I couldn’t have got this far without the both of you. And I think the absolute world of you, I want you to remember that.”
With that Sam and Samson helped take her bags to the car as Lydia had one last look around Wishing Well.
She walked out the door and fans are in shock at the exit.
One wrote: “Has Lyds gone for good then?”
A second said: “Lydia gave an impression she won’t be back.”
Another added: “Is Lydia not going to come back? Please say she is cause she’s a great character and Sam and Samson won’t manage without her.”
