Emmerdale Lydia history explained from children's home past to tragic baby loss

15 August 2023 , 17:45

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Emmerdale Lydia history explained from children's home past to tragic baby loss

Emmerdale is set for dramatic scenes when Lydia Dingle is left shaken to face a blast from her past. In upcoming scenes, Sam Dingle finds an old dolls house in a skip and he brings it home to do up for granddaughter Esther’s birthday to which it reminds Lydia of the one she had in the children’s home. As they work on the doll’s house, Lydia talks about the children’s home and her late son, Toby.

Later in the week, despite everything to do with Dan Spencer, the Dingles celebrate Sam’s birthday. Elsewhere, Lydia starts to worry about her finances after Kim Tate rejects her proposal for more hours. Wanting to take on a second job, Lydia heads to the Hide recruitment fair in search of another job, which leaves Sam unhappy with the situation.

Things soon take an awkward turn when Lydia sees Kim arrive at the Hide recruitment fair but this is the least of her problems as she's soon left utterly shaken to bump into a mystery man from her past. Having not seen her since the children’s home, Craig’s delighted to have found Lydia again.

Emmerdale is set for dramatic scenes when Lydia Dingle is left shaken to face a blast from her past

Fans will recall that Lydia was born as Jenny Finn but was placed into Hotten Grange children's home aged just five by her mum, who claimed at the time that she was too ill to look after her. When she was just 15, Lydia became pregnant and gave birth to a stillborn boy in 1990, who she later called Toby, and she buried him in the woodland. Jenny later went missing and changed her name to Lydia.

However, Lydia's devastating past caught up with her in 2019 when the baby was found buried and a picture was circulated by police of Jenny Finn, which looked just like Lydia. In an emotional moment, Lydia, who gave a full statement to the police confirming she was Jenny Finn, opened up to Sam. Lydia revealed she was scared her baby would be taken from her, so she told no one about her pregnancy, and was later left devastated to deliver her baby alone in the children's home toilets, where he was tragically stillborn.

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Lydia visited her baby's grave with Sam and scattered her baby's ashes

Lydia wrapped her baby in a jumper and buried him in the nearby woodlands, she emotionally recalled in 2019: "I hadn't thought beyond the birth, I thought I'd know what to do." As a result of the tragic stillbirth, Lydia, who was Jenny at the time, went to Scarborough in a bid for a new life. While there, she lived in a bedsit where a girl called Lydia Hart was staying too. After Lydia died, Jenny took her identity.

Seeking a new life, Lydia went on to marry a man called Steve, who later died, and during their marriage she tragically suffered two miscarriages. In 2019, after it was revealed that the baby found was Lydia's, she visited her baby's grave with Sam. She also scattered her baby's ashes with Sam and Mandy Dingle as support, where she revealed she had called her late son Toby.

If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Tommy's, a miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth charity, you can email [email protected] or call 0800 0147 800.

Olivia Wheeler