Tina Dingle hasn’t been seen in Emmerdale since the nineties, but
she’s heading back to the village for her dad’s funeral. Tina was Zak
Dingle‘s only daughter until Belle came along! She was first seen in the village in the aftermath of brother Ben’s death in 1994.
Ben had been killed in a fight with Luke McAllister, though later it was revealed he’d had a heart condition that was the real cause of his death. The families were at war and Tina was desperate for revenge.
Tina was only in the show for two years but she definitely made her mark! Here’s her story…
Tina and Luke’s wedding
Determined to take revenge on Luke for killing Ben, Tina decided to hit Luke right where it hurt – in his heart!
She wormed her way into his affections and the pair started a relationship. The Dingles – especially Zak and first wife Nellie – were horrified but as Tina and Luke’s romance became more serious, they got used to the idea.
Nellie was even excited to have a future medic in the family as Luke was planning to study to become a doctor.
When Tina announced she was pregnant, the family rallied round and planned a wedding. But in the run-up to the big day, Tina managed to make Luke miss an important exam, and sell his beloved motorbike, and a family heirloom!
When the big day dawned, Tina jilted Luke at the altar – telling him there was no baby, and she didn’t love him. This was revenge for him killing her brother!
Luke’s heartbreak
Devastated and humiliated, Luke decided to leave Emmerdale to go and live in London with his parents. But before he left, he persuaded Tina to see him one last time.
They went for a drive in Dave Glover’s van but Luke was unstable. He wanted Tina to tell the truth about whether she had ever loved him and drove faster and faster. Terrified, Tina managed to throw herself from the moving van, but Luke ploughed into a tree and died.
Tina was crippled with guilt after his death, saying that while she’d wanted revenge, she hadn’t wanted this.
Tina and Frank
As she tried to rebuild her life after Luke’s death, Tina took a job as Frank Tate‘s assistant at Home Farm.
She thought Frank Tate had given her the job to make Kim jealous, but actually Frank was developing feelings for the much younger woman!
When Tina began dating smooth Steve Marchant, Frank was jealous and began playing mind games with Tina. He even proposed! Tina turned him down, telling him she only saw him as her boss.
Frank wouldn’t accept her rejection. He began pressurising her to change her mind, and harassing her.
In the end it all got too much for Tina and she left the village – never to return! She didn’t come back when her half-sister Belle was born, nor when brother Butch died.
Who played Tina Dingle?
Tina was played by Jacqueline Pirie. After she left Emmerdale she moved across the Pennines to Weatherfield, playing Linda Sykes – later Linda Barlow – in Coronation Street.
After that, Jacqueline moved to Canada and stopped acting though she did run a theatre school for a while.
And under her married name, Jacqueline Chadwick, she writes crime thrillers featuring forensic pathologist Ali Dalglish.
When Tina returns to the village she will be played by a new actress – Samantha Power.
