Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches) looks set to have his heart broken in Emmerdale, as boyfriend Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) is leaving the village.
As part of the ITV soap’s cast cuts, it’s now been confirmed that Caroline Harker (Dr Todd), Nick Miles (Jimmy King), Olivia Bromley (Dawn Taylor) and Bradley are all leaving.
Vinny, as viewers will recall, arrived in Emmerdale seven years ago when mum Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) staged her long-awaited return to the Dales after 18 years.
The dynamic between the mother and son duo was nothing short of magical and made for many a comedy caper over the years and was the basis of a stellar Emmerdale lockdown two-hander episode.
Last year, Vinny went on a journey of self-discovery after almost kissing friend Kammy Hadiq (Shebz Miah).
At the time, he was in a relationship with Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham), but eventually came to accept that he was attracted to men.
His marriage to Gabby ended and now, Vinny is in a relationship with Lewis.
While things are very lovely between Vinny and Lewis right now, there will be some sadness on the horizon for them both, as there’s currently no indication Bradley Riches is also departing the show.
Vinny’s exit story hasn’t been confirmed yet, but there’s a high chance it will have something to do with a returning character.
Lewis’ biological father Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) will return this year. At the moment, Lewis doesn’t know that Kev is his dad. He’s unhinged and volatile, and grew possessive whenever he feared prison husband Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) was going to leave him.
If Lewis discovers the truth about Kev, the two characters are bound to spend a fair bit of time with each other. Because Kev has such a short fuse and gets angry pretty quickly, this may cause problems for Vinny.
Vinny’s father Paul also had anger problems, and was subjected to violent abuse from him for ages. If Lewis is set on building a connection with his father, could Vinny feel he has no choice but to leave, to prevent being around a man who reminds him of the horror his own dad put him through?
Or, if Kev’s possessive streak reappears for Lewis, perhaps he will run Vinny out of the village?
