‘Traumatic’ exit confirmed for Vinny in Emmerdale as devastating end looms
Emmerdale’s Bradley Riches has admitted that Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) – who is leaving the ITV soap – is going to struggle a great deal with the return of Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill).
The unhinged criminal arrived back in the village this week, following the discovery biological son Lewis Barton, played by Bradley Riches, had been kidnapped.
Kev’s ex Kylie had taken Lewis and announced to Ross Barton (Michael Parr) that he wouldn’t be freed until ‘Penny’ was returned to her.
It turned out that Penny was a diamond that Kev had stolen from Kylie. He eventually gave it back, and Lewis was allowed to go home.
Ross told Kev to leave the Dales once more, arguing that no-one would want him around.
The peace and quiet lasted all of a few minutes, as Kev arrived at Dale View with an announcement for Lewis.
He then sang Boyzone’s Father and Son in attempt to tell Lewis that he’s his father. Kev asked Lewis if they could have a relationship, but the young man was far to overwhelmed and told him to leave.
Despite this, Bradley, who joined the cast of Emmerdale last year, has confirmed that Lewis and Kev will go on quite the journey together in the near future, as they attempt to forge a connection.
‘It’s going to be a learning curve for both of them. Lewis battles in his head with his adoptive parents, they gave him so much love, they have been his parents. Now there’s a new father figure on the scene, Lewis will worry that he’s cheating on his parents and struggle to balance it out well’, he explained.
‘He’s got to learn a lot. Kev’s got to learn a lot. Also you find out a lot about Kev’s upbringing and why he has the potential to be a good dad. Because he doesn’t want to be the father that he had, which is quite night. There are lots of ups and downs and a lot of learning to do. In the long run, Kev will definitely get there!’.
It sounds like hopeful news for Bradley’s soap alter-ego and Kev, but this new dynamic is sadly going to impact the relationship Lewis has with Vinny.
The character will begin to be reminded of his violent father Paul Ashdale whenever he’s around Kev. Paul struggled with a gambling addiction when he was alive, and subjected Vinny to a prolonged campaign of severe physical and also psychological abuse.
Unfortunately, Vinny will struggle to communicate what’s going on in his mind to Lewis, causing things between them to start ‘crumbling’.
‘Vinny is going to struggle a lot. What Vinny and Lewis have done so well as a couple, their communication has been really good’, Bradley said.
‘You will start to see lies, and lots of different things start crumbling. Vinny wants to please Lewis, he wants to make him happy. But in reality, if you are not happy in certain situations you should vocalise that with your partner. Vinny’s going to get a lot of things built up, stuff maybe reminding him of his dad in Kev, which is quite traumatic for Vinny.
‘If Vinny spoke to Lewis, Lewis would definitely be there for Vinny because Lewis absolutely adores Vinny. Lewis would be there to support him. But Vinny goes about it the wrong way. It’s going to be a really hard dynamic for Lewis to navigate. People aren’t telling him the full truth but Lewis can sense that Vinny is feeling a bit traumatised.
He added: ‘His past thoughts are coming back. Lewis is very to the point and very honest. Nobody is being honest because they want to keep him happy. It makes it a bit harder. Some things happen which are a big turning point in their relationship with him.’
Could Vinny leave the village to start his life elsewhere, unable to be near Kev because of the reminders of his past?
Bradley is among the group of cast members set to leave Emmerdale this year.
At the moment, we know that Olivia Bromley (Dawn Taylor), Nick Miles (Jimmy King) and Caroline Harker (Doctor Caitlin Todd) are also departing the ITV soap.
