Emmerdale star breaks silence on devastating split amid revenge plot and brutal attack

's Jay Kontzle has opened up about his upcoming storyline that sees his character Billy discover the truth after his split from wife Dawn. Billy and Dawn Fletcher, played by , called time on their marriage when Dawn decided she wanted to pursue things with local villain Joe Tate.

Unbeknown to Billy, Dawn has been having an affair with Joe for the past few months, with Billy blindsided by her decision to split. But this week, the plot takes a dramatic turn, when Billy's ex-wife's infidelity comes to light and .

Jay, who has been playing the part of Billy since 2018, has discussed the breakdown of his character's relationship, admitting it is a shame that viewers are losing the "family unit". Dawn and Billy share three children in their blended family, with Clemmie, Lucas and Evan all being brought up by the couple.

Lucas is Dawn's child from a previous relationship, with her and Billy having Evan together. Clemmie is Lucas' half brother, and the daughter of Dawn's late friend Beth Reed.

Speaking about the future of the family, Jay told : "They have done fun things together and we have seen Clemmie and Lucas, and seen those little lovely moments between the family that will be missed. But it feels like it’s kind of a huge sacrifice for what's to come.

"Joe’s come in as this nasty character and Dawn’s fallen into that. It's not what she was about – that’s not what we’ve grown our family into and it’s a shame that that’s lost, but it’s part and parcel of soap."

He also speculated that Dawn's self-sabotage could be a "personality trait" that she'll always have, adding that she needs some level of "taboo" in her relationships. Jay and Olivia have worked together for most of their time on the soap, confessing that it'll be "interesting" to see the storyline pan out.

He added: "Storyline wise, it does work and it is interesting for the Tate family. It opens up new avenues for that Tate household. And obviously that dynamic between the Tates and Dingles now starts to open up a little bit."

A promo image seems to have confirmed the key suspects in the upcoming storyline that sees Joe Tate physically attacked in what could be a revenge plot. The inclusion of one character has sparked speculation, with spoilers revealing that Joe's enemies gather in explosive scenes next week, as his lies and shocking actions finally come to light.

From kidney theft, to him almost killing his uncle Caleb Miligan, as well as him causing the limo crash after drugging his brother Noah Dingle - it all comes out. His affair with Dawn Taylor and his threats to her young daughter Clemmie are also exposed.

It's safe to say multiple people are out to get him next week, with suspects in the promo image including Caleb and Ruby Miligan, Noah, Cain and Charity Dingle, and then Dawn, Billy Fletcher and Clemmie. It's the inclusion of Clemmie in this photo that has sparked suspicion that is could be her who hurts Joe.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.

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