An Emmerdale icon might be waving goodbye to the village soon. Jeff Hordley, who’s

been playing the role of Cain Dingle since 2000, has become a firm favourite among fans

with his character’s rollercoaster life. Cain’s been at the centre of some of the soap’s

most explosive plots, from intense family dramas to chilling murders, making his stint in the Dales far from peaceful. Right now, things are heating up as Cain butts heads with his other half Moira (Natalie J. Robb) over the mess involving his nephew Samson Dingle (Sam Hall) and her son Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano). After being egged on by bad boy Josh (Osian Morgan), Samson wrongly pinned a stabbing on Matty, which got him chucked in prison. Even though Samson owned up to his lies and ended up in jail himself, the tension between Moira and Cain is still sky-high.

On top of that, Cain’s stepsister Belle (Eden Taylor Draper) has had her own share of trouble, having been mistreated by her hubby Tom King (James Chase), reports the Express. But she’s recently ditched him and jetted off to Scotland for some time with her dad Zak Dingle, played by the sadly departed Steve Halliwell, as per the Manchester Evening News. Now, die-hard Emmerdale watchers are on edge thinking Cain could be the next one to pack his bags after a string of tough breaks.

Chatter on an Emmerdale Facebook fan group has fans guessing: “What if…. Cain storms off to Zac and Debbie’s and nurses Zac whilst he dies and then stays to run the business up there.” The rumour mill went into overdrive, sparking a frenzy of replies in the comments section. One viewer speculated: “Yeah that would be one way of writing him for a little while, don’t want him to go to prison again as they have done this already.” Another added their two cents: “I think he’s leaving for a bit but he usually comes back after a rest.” And another fan stated firmly: “I hope not! no there would be no point in Emmerdale without Cain.”