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Tag: Paul Ashdale

  • As Mandy Dingle gets ready to walk down the aisle with Paddy (again!), we recap her disastrous love life!

    As Mandy Dingle gets ready to walk down the aisle with Paddy (again!), we recap her disastrous love life!

    Mandy Dingle is about to tie the knot with Paddy Kirk, making it wedding number four for the bolshy beautician (though wedding three ended in disaster and no actual marriage), and the second time she’s married Paddy.

    So with her – ahem – chequered history of marital bliss, will it be fourth time lucky for Ms Dingle? Or will her dabbling in findom camera work mean it’s not happily ever after?

    We thought now would be a good time to take a look back at Mandy Dingle’s disastrous love life.

    Here’s our round-up.

    Mandy Dingle and her disastrous love life in Emmerdale

    Mandy hoicks up her wedding dress in Emmerdale spoilers as she runs through the village determined.
    Is fourth time a charm for Mandy Dingle? (Credit: ITV)

    Paddy Kirk

    When Mandy came to the village for the (very dramatic) wedding of her cousin Tina to Luke McAllister. She immediately hit it off with vet Paddy Kirk and they started a romance. But Paddy’s mum, Barbara, did NOT approve of Ms Dingle.

    She tried to break up the couple and knowing the Dingle family had money troubles, Barbara eventually went as far as paying Mandy to marry her cousin Butch Dingle!

    Mandy looks unhappy at the register office as she marries cousin Butch
    Mandy was paid to marry Butch! (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

    Butch Dingle and Mandy in Emmerdale

    Butch had always secretly loved Mandy, so he was well up for their romance, but Mandy couldn’t hide her feelings for Paddy. They started an affair and Butch’s heart was broken. Aww!

    Paddy and Mandy's first wedding
    Paddy and Mandy got married 25 years ago (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

    Paddy Kirk (again!)

    Once she’d broken up with Butch, Mandy rekindled her romance with Paddy and the pair walked down the aisle in a traditional Dingle wedding 25 years ago. They were happy for a while, but Mandy’s dad, Caleb, got sick and Mandy went to look after him.

    While she was spending time with Caleb in Plymouth, Mandy began an affair with Caleb’s carer, Neil.

    Paddy forgave her, but he eventually realised she’d only come back out of guilt and the pair broke up again. Mandy left the village.

    She did return briefly to try to win Paddy back but realised he was happy with Emily Dingle – Butch’s widow – and left again.

    Mandy looks resigned as Paul talks to her
    Mandy didn’t trust Paul when he first came to the village (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

    Paul Ashdale

    In 2019, Mandy came back to Emmerdale with adoptive son Vinny. At first viewers thought Vinny might be Paddy’s son, but it was revealed that he wasn’t even Mandy’s biological son – instead she had brought him up since he was tiny.

    Vinny’s dad – and Mandy’s ex – Paul Ashdale arrived in the village and he and Mandy rekindled their romance.

    Paul was a gambling addict, but he promised Mandy he’d stopped. However, that was just one of his many lies. He was also abusive and violent and son Vinny was the target.

    Meanwhile, Mandy and Paul were planning a wedding. On their big day, Liv Flaherty found out the truth and confronted Paul in the barn where the wedding was taking place.

    Paul lashed out at Liv, but just as he did, Jimmy King crashed his lorry into the barn. Paul was trapped in the wreckage and begged Liv to help – she forced him to confess to beating up Paul and then walked away.

    When the barn exploded, Jimmy, Liv and Paul were injured. Paul died in hospital. Mandy was heartbroken – and even more devastated when she found out the truth about Paul.

    Mandy Dingle and Jimmy King in Emmerdale

    After Jimmy crashed into the barn, his guilt was overwhelming and he turned to Mandy for support. She was there for him and they began to connect emotionally.

    As Jimmy faced court over the accident, convinced he was going to prison, Mandy read out out statement to the judge supporting him. Jimmy was so grateful, he kissed Mandy.

    Things didn’t go any further and Jimmy went back to Nicola with his tail between his legs. And although she gave him a hard time, she eventually forgave him.

    Mandy looks happy and surprised as Paddy proposes to her in Emmerdale
    Mandy and Paddy are planning a wedding (Credit: ITV)

    Paddy Kirk (again, again!)

    When Mandy first returned, Paddy was happily married to Chas Dingle. When they split due to Chas having an affair with Al Chapman, Paddy struggled with his mental health. Mandy supported him and eventually they got back together.

    Now their second wedding – 25 years after the first – is coming up. But Mandy’s hiding her money troubles from her fiancé, as well as not being entirely honest about how she’s earning enough to pay her bills!

    So will the wedding go ahead? Only time will tell!

    Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.

    Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.

  • Paul Ashdale in Emmerdale: Vinny’s abusive dad and his explosive death

    Paul Ashdale in Emmerdale: Vinny’s abusive dad and his explosive death

    Paul Ashdale in Emmerdale was the violent, nasty and downright rotten dad of Vinny Dingle. He was also engaged to Mandy Dingle, but died on their wedding day before they could say I do – frankly, she had a lucky escape.

    Paul wasn’t in Emmerdale for a long time, but he has certainly made an impact, with his character still being referenced today.

    As Vinny counsels Belle over her abusive marriage to Tom King, he draws on his past experiences with his dad to try to understand what she’s been going through. But just how bad did it get with Paul? And why is Vinny the best person to help Belle?

    Everything you need to know about who Vinny’s dad was and what he did, right here.

    Paul Ashdale looks threateningly at Vinny in Emmerdale
    Paul was not a nice man at all (Credit: ITV)

    Vinny’s dad Paul Ashdale and his arrival in Emmerdale

    Having been abandoned by his father when he was just a boy, Vinny was brought up by Paul’s ex-girlfriend Mandy Dingle. Gambling addict Paul had walked out on them both when Vinny was five and they hadn’t seen or heard from him since.

    Mandy brought Vinny up as her own and didn’t even tell the Dingles she wasn’t biologically related to Vinny when they returned to the Dales in 2019.

    Paul arrived in the village in April 2020 to track down his son. Mandy saw him first and was completely stunned – and not at all pleased. She lied that Vinny wasn’t living in Emmerdale and sent Paul away.

    But Paul soon realised the truth, so he stuck around and got a job at the scrapyard. However he didn’t reveal his true identity to Vinny at first. When he did expose himself, Paul promised Mandy and Vinny that he had changed his ways.

    It took some doing, but eventually, Mandy was won over by Paul’s charms. The couple got back together and started planning their wedding.

    Vinny cowers on the ground with his glasses off his face after Paul beats him
    Poor Vinny was subjected to terrible abuse (Credit: ITV)

    Vinny abused by his dad Paul in Emmerdale

    As Mandy went along happy as Larry about the turn her life had taken, what she didn’t know was Paul was hiding a dark secret. The nice, kind, caring guy he portrayed on the outside was not at all who he really was.

    Paul was gambling again and in order to hide the truth from Mandy he took it out on Vinny.

    Paul was also abusing poor Vinny, physically and emotionally. He criticised him, put him down, taunted him and used him as a punchbag.

    Poor Vinny desperately wanted his dad to stick around and hoped he could change. He refused to tell Mandy what was going on, but did confide in girlfriend Liv Flaherty.

    And she wasn’t going to let it go. Furious, she confronted Paul about what he had being doing to innocent Vinny on Paul and Mandy’s wedding day. And then tragedy struck…

    Paul looks down at Vinny menacingly
    Paul met his maker on his wedding day (Credit: ITV)

    How Paul died in Emmerdale

    Knowing all about his gambling, and his abuse of Vinny, Liv even knew the kicker: that Paul had arranged for Vinny to be kidnapped in order to get his hands on some cash.

    Paul was at the barn where he and Mandy were marrying when Liv confronted him. However Paul’s true character came out when he lashed out at her viciously.

    He went to attack her again, but suddenly Jimmy King crashed his lorry through the barn wall. Liv and Paul were both sent flying.

    Liv managed to get herself free and tried to save Paul, but he was trapped under a collapsed beam. Realising there was no time to save them both, Liv gave up and ran from the barn just before it exploded. Paul was left behind and later died of his injuries.

    The guilt of having left him, despite his awful behaviour and who he was, got to Liv. She turned to drink to cope.

    Meanwhile Mandy found out everything and was forced to deal with the truth about her fiancé. Vinny was in a mess too. And it’s clear that he’s still processing everything and getting over it even now.

    Joe McIntyre looks nervous as Tina confronts him in Coronation Street
    Soap fans knew Reece from Coronation Street (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

    Who played Paul Ashdale in Emmerdale?

    Paul Ashdale in Emmerdale was played by experienced actor Reece Dinsdale.

    He was familiar to soap fans already because he appeared in Coronation Street as Joe McIntyre – the ill-fated husband of Gail, and dad to Tina. Joe had planned to fake his own death as he was in so much debt, but he ended up dying for real when his plot went wrong. Gail was then arrested for his murder.

    Reece has also been in sitcom Home to Roost, among many other television shows, including Life on Mars, Silent Witness and Waterloo Road.

    Paul is also a director and before joining the cast of Emmerdale as Paul, he was directing episodes of the ITV soap.

    Where can you find Reece Dinsdale now?

    Paul Ashdale may have left the Dales but his alter ego Reece hasn’t said goodbye to Emmerdale. He’s gone back to directing episodes of the soap.

    He’s also done public done public speaking events called Reece’s Pieces.

    Reece is currently starring in play The Promise at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

    Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.

    Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.