Emmerdale Belle Dingle star’s life off-screen – from cancer heartbreak to work bestie

Emmerdale’s Belle Dingle has suffered a terrible year so far and, tragically, many viewers will be able to relate.

New husband Tom King (James Chase) has continued to manipulate and exert control over every part of Belle’s life in an insidious campaign of abuse that has left soap fans heartbroken. Next week, Tom’s cruelty takes yet another turn, as he attempts to meddle in her friendship with Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson), isolating her further.

As difficult as Belle’s harrowing storyline has been to watch, Emmerdale writers have been widely praised for the dark portrayal of coercive control, which illustrates just how many abusive relationships may appear very differently on the surface.

Away from the drama of the dales, actress Eden Taylor-Draper, 26, enjoys a far happier life, filled with travel and fun. She has, however, had to deal with a very difficult family heartache behind the scenes.

Much like the Dingle clan, Selby-born Eden is part of a very close-knit family, and when little sister Francesca was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, she was there for her every step of the way.

Francesca, affectionately nicknamed Chess by loved ones, was diagnosed with this rare blood cancer type six years ago, and devoted sister Eden took time away from set to be by her side. Speaking with the Mirror in 2020, Eden shared: “We’ve got such a strong family. When our mum puts her mind to something, she’s always going to do it. She said, ‘You are getting better and that’s it. We’re going to get through it’.”

Eden, who went on to become an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust, was there for Chess as she underwent monthly treatments and took daily chemo pills, and says the ordeal made their bond ‘much stronger’. She continued: “Chessie had her bed and I had a little bed next to her. Mornings would be a snuggle, cup of tea, and re-runs of Come Dine with Me. I tried to keep Chess as cosy as possible. We’d always say love you before bed, and that everything would be okay.”

Finding love with long-term boyfriend

Eden has been loved up with boyfriend Ed Lewis since 2016, and it’s believed the pair first met at Harrogate Grammar School in North Yorkshire. The young couple share a keen love of travel, and will often share Instagram snaps from far-flung locations, including a festive trip to the Christmas markets of Vienna in Austria.

Emmerdale ‘sister’