As Tom and Amelia date, here’s a look at some of the worst couples

Tonight’s episode of Emmerdale sees Tom King and Amelia Spencer go public with the shocking news that they are now in a relationship.

This follows Belle’s split from abusive Tom, after beginning to realise the extent of his violent and controlling behaviour. It’s clear that Tom is only doing this to get to Belle – and may well spell danger for vulnerable Amelia.

After Tom and Belle, Tom and Amelia is another terrible pairing that will surely end in disaster – but far from Emmerdale’s last. Join us as we take a look back at some of the soap’s most terrible, toxic and downright dangerous pairings over the years.

Andy surprises Jo on Emmerdale — Jo and Andy’s romance soon soured (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Andy and Jo

Before Belle and Tom, Jo Stiles fell victim to the abusive outbursts of her husband, Andy Sugden. The pair married while he was in prison serving time for the barn fire which killed his mother – and when he returned a free man, he had also transformed into a violent one.

After first accidentally slapping Jo during an argument, he continued to abuse his wife, even hospitalising her on one occasion. This cycle of abuse continued until she accidentally impaled him on a farm tool during one of their fights. Although Andy attempted to spin the narrative to paint himself as the victim (sound familiar?), Jo was able to make his family and neighbours see the light and flee both the village and her abusive husband.

Laurel and Bob

Unlikely lothario Bob Hope has been married to six women on the soap so far (twice to Viv Windsor). It was while he was in a relationship with Brenda Walker that Bob had his affair with Laurel.

The seedy truth was revealed when Laurel was called in for questioning over the murder of Emma Barton. It was then that Laurel revealed her alibi – she couldn’t have done it because she was with Bob at the time.

The pair tried to make things work after that, but both moved on – him to Wendy Posner, her to Jai Sharma. More on them later.

Chas and Al

Chas Dingle and Al Chapman brought out the worst in each other. Their affair went down as one of the most controversial in the soap’s history, leaving viewers frothing at the mouth.

As the pair cheated on their unsuspecting other halves (Paddy and Kerry), Al and Chas plotted their grand escape – with Al going so far as to pick out a house for them both outside of the village. Their affair came to a sudden end when he was murdered by young Kyle Dingle.

Jacob and Victoria

This couple were seemingly put together by soap bosses to facilitate David Metcalfe’s exit from the soap. Hastily concocting an affair between his son and his partner.

Upon discovering Jacob and Victoria’s betrayal, David was duly horrified – and left the village in the hours which followed. Job apparently done, Victoria and Jacob then split, and have barely been seen together since.

Dawn looks fondly at Terry on Emmerdale — Fans felt that Terry and Dawn’s marriage made him look like a dirty old man (Credit: ITV/YouTube)

Dawn and Terry

Dawn arrived in the village as the young fiancee of Terry Woods after the pair met on holiday in Spain. It was then revealed that she was none other than Bob’s estranged daughter.

Bob, naturally was not keen on his daughter marrying a man 27 years her senior, but the marriage persisted, and the pair had a son together in baby T.J. However, their marriage wasn’t able to survive the strain of Terry’s stroke, and the pair split in 2003.

Both Bob and Dawn died in the years following – him in the Post Office fire which also killed Viv Windsor, her in the aftermath of the King family’s exploding home.

Jai and Laurel

Laurel and Jai are currently going through a vicious divorce following their recent split. She decided to end her marriage after a huge row over the secrets and lies surrounding his dad Amit’s exit from the village.

Their time as a couple was blighted by many such arguments and temper tantrums from Jai, making their marriage one of the most toxic in Emmerdale history.

Kelly Windsor on Emmerdale — Kelly liked the finer things in life (Credit: ITV/YouTube)

Kelly and anyone

Viv Windsor’s daughter Kelly was renowned as the village gold digger, seducing Chris Tate (who she tried to trick into paying for her abortion after claiming she was pregnant with his child), Rodney Blackstock (an age difference of 31 years) and Jimmy King.

It was her relationship with her adoptive brother Scott which really set the cat among the pigeons though, a pairing which tore a rift through the family – and led to the end of her marriage to childhood sweetheart Roy. As her affair with Scott ended and her marriage collapsed, Kelly sought comfort in the arms of her mum’s fiancee, Bob – only to leave the village in disgrace when he told Viv what she’d done.

Liam and Wendy

Of all the odd pairings over the years, one of the oddest is that of Doctor Liam Cavanagh and Wendy Posner. Bonding over his steamy fiction, the Doctor and his Nurse embarked upon an affair during which they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other.

This betrayal was undoubtedly a factor in poor Bob’s subsequent heart attack.

Lachlan with his hand over Belle's mouth on Emmerdale — Before Tom, there was Lachlan (Credit: ITV)

Belle and Lachlan

Lachlan is Belle’s ex-boyfriend – currently in prison after killing his grandfather, mother, Gerry Roberts, and a man named Terry. He also left his aunt Rebecca with permanent brain damage after kidnapping her and attempting to strangle her to death.

With Lachlan in prison serving time for his crimes, Belle cut off their relationship… which is when she rekindled things with Tom, who had recently returned to the village.