Zak Dingle in Emmerdale: Rocky relationship with Cain, mental health struggles and Lisa’s tragic death

Zak Dingle was a mainstay in Emmerdale for almost 30 years. As the head of the Dingle clan, he was involved in some huge storylines during his time in the village.

During his life, Zak fathered seven children – though we didn’t meet them all – and married three different women. He was originally introduced as a boxing hardman, but soon evolved into a loving family man.

With Zak’s on-screen funeral taking place this week, here’s the lowdown on everything Zak Dingle.

Zak Dingle’s arrival in Emmerdale

Zak Dingle arrived in Emmerdale in October 1994 and immediately got on the wrong side of the locals. Having previously been a bare-knuckle boxer, Zak challenged old adversary Ned Glover to a bare-knuckle fight, which he went on to lose.

The Dingle family also started a feud with the McAllister family after holding them responsible for the death of Zak’s son, Ben. Ben was actually the first member of the Dingle family to appear in Emmerdale (August 1994). During a fight with Luke McAllister, Ben died of a heart defect, but the Dingles continued to blame Luke.

Zak was initially only supposed to be in a few episodes, but he made such a mark that actor Steve Halliwell was asked to stay on. The rest, as they say, is history.

Divorce from Nellie and meeting Lisa

Nellie was Zak’s first wife and the mother of five of his children – Nathan, Butch, Ben, Sam and Tina. She arrived at the start of 1995 and left at the end of the year to care for her father in Ireland.

Zak met Lisa in 1996 and the couple were instantly smitten. After divorcing Nellie, Zak married Lisa in 1998. That Christmas the pair got a present in the form of a baby, who they named Belle. It was a big surprise as Lisa hadn’t even known she was pregnant!

Nellie returned in 2000 and attempted to win Zak back, but he was not for turning.

Relationship with Cain

Cain Dingle arrived in 2000 to attend the funeral of his ‘cousin’ Butch. But it was later revealed that Butch was actually his half brother.

Zak had a tempestuous relationship with Cain and during a heated argument in 2001, Zak revealed to Cain that he was his dad following an affair with Cain’s mum, Faith.

Cain and Zak went on to have a strained relationship. This came to a head in 2011 when Cain was viciously attacked and left for dead. Zak was later revealed to be the culprit. Zak and Cain’s relationship improved over the years, and, aside from Debbie, Cain was the last of the Dingles to see Zak alive. He is also the one to break the news of Zak’s passing to the rest of the family.

Zak’s health issues

In 2001, Zak was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but he refused to have treatment. His family eventually made him see sense and he went to hospital, eventually making a full recovery.

Years later, following this incident with Cain in 2011, Zak’s mental health took centre stage. Feeling guilty for attacking his son, Zak struggled to cope. He suffered from bouts of depression and hit the bottle hard.

He later became erratic and paranoid. After a vet gave his chickens a full bill of health, Zak convinced himself that something was wrong with them and he killed them. He also saw visions of his dead son Butch and became convinced that his cancer had returned. When it became obvious that a nervous breakdown was taking place, Zak was sectioned.

The storyline and Halliwell himself were praised by fans, who responded well to seeing an emotional side to Zak. The soap also received praise for covering the issue of male mental illness.

Joanie and losing Lisa

Zak and Lisa’s relationship wasn’t always rock solid, but they always found their way back to each other.

In 2000, Zak’s son Butch was killed when a lorry crashed into the bus he was travelling in. Zak initially blamed mechanic Lisa after he discovered that she had worked on the vehicle before it crashed. But he eventually relented.

The marriage collapsed completely in 2015 when Zak started a relationship with their lodger Joanie. Lisa and Zak divorced in 2016 and Zak married Joanie. The marriage was short-lived, however, due to Zak remaining close to his ex. Joanie then suffered a cardiac arrest and died in early 2017.

Lisa and Zak reunited in 2018. But there was no happy ever after as just a year later, Lisa was diagnosed with a heart condition and was given only a short amount of time left to live. The couple decided to re-marry, in what was an emotional occasion all round.

Following the wedding, Lisa returned home to change out of her dress after it became covered in mud. Zak went to find her and found her asleep on the sofa, but when he tried to wake her up he realised that she had passed away.

Who played Zak Dingle?

Steve Halliwell played Zak from his first appearance in October 1994 until his final appearance in June 2023. One of his final scenes saw Zak beeping the horn on his mobility scooter as Dan Spencer, who was working at the garage, called him Evel Knievel. Zak then headed off to live in Scotland with Debbie.

In December 2023, it was announced that Steve Halliwell had sadly passed away at the age of 77. In a statement, the soap said: “It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that Emmerdale can confirm that Steve Halliwell, our beloved Zak Dingle, has peacefully passed away.

“Steve will forever be synonymous with Emmerdale. The proud defender and head of the Dingle family. Heart and humour in all he did, it has been and always will be impossible not to smile when you think of him.

“All our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones through this very difficult time, and we’d request that their privacy is respected as they grieve for his loss.”

Prior to Emmerdale, Halliwell had a long-standing role in The Practice, as well as making appearances in the likes of Coronation Street, Heartbeat and Cracker.

Read now: Belle Dingle: Killer, mental health crisis and domestic violence victim

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.

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