Emmerdale Belle Dingle star Eden Taylor-Draper’s life – from cancer agony to high school boyfriend
As Emmerdale's Belle Dingle's abuse storyline takes another dark turn, the Mirror takes a look at actress Eden Taylor-Draper's very different life away from the village
Over in Emmerdale, Belle Dingle’s coercive control storyline has taken yet another devastating turn.
Emmerdale viewers have watched with dismay as Belle’s husband Tom King (James Chase) continues to exert control over Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper), all the while isolating her from trusted loved ones such as Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson). This week, cruel Tom ramped up his abuse after pressuring her to have sex on the sofa of her family home.
Belle made it clear she didn’t want to, pushing him away. Not taking no for an answer, controlling Tom turned to guilt-tripping tactics, telling her she was making him feel like his rapist father, Carl King. Just as Tom had intended, Belle immediately felt guilty, and agreed to have sex with him – despite not wanting to.
Away from shooting her currently extremely harrowing storyline, actress Eden Taylor-Draper, 26, enjoys a fun-filled life with friends and a long-term boyfriend She has, however, had to contend with a painful family heartache behind the scenes…
Little sister’s cancer diagnosis
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’.”
Like Belle, Eden is very close to her family
The family’s ordeal made their bond even stronger
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 and Ed have been together since 2016
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’
Charity Dingle actress Emma Atkins is like Eden’s ‘big sister’
She’s been lucky to find friendship with her Emmerdale castmates
