Emmerdale fans have been left shocked after discovering the rude nickname given to Lydia Dingle by fellow village resident Joe Tate.
Lydia (Karen Blick) made her debut on the ITV soap in 2016. Married to Sam Dingle (James Hooton), the beloved cleaner has become a firm favourite with viewers. She has also had her fair share of big storylines, including her friendship with Kim Tate (Claire King), working as a cleaner at Home Farm, her horror rape ordeal, and her brief romances with Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) and Rishi Sharma (Bhasker Patel).
Joe Tate's Nickname for Lydia Revealed
In Tuesday's episode (August 18), DS Thea Ramsden (Chelsea Edge) arrived at Home Farm wanting to speak to the owner about the investigation regarding Dr Caitlin Todd's (Caroline Harker) murder. Due to Kim being away, Lydia phoned Joe Tate (Ned Porteous). When Lydia called Joe, on Joe's phone it was revealed he had her saved as 'Cleaner'.
Reacting to his savage nickname, one person said on X: “Lydia down as 'cleaner' on Joe's phone. He's such a k**b.” Someone else added: “I'm sorry but why would Kidney Stealer have cleaner rather than 'Lydia' on his phone? Talk about totally disrespectful!”
Fan Reactions to the Disrespectful Nickname
A third chimed in: “Joe having Lydia in his contacts as ‘cleaner’ is lowkey crazy.” Echoing their thoughts, another fan wrote: “Lydia Dingle is saved in Joe's phone as cleaner? Joe Tate is saved in my books as moron.”
Since Lydia joined the soap, she has become a hit with fans. Previously talking about being a member of the iconic Dingle family on Emmerdale, actress Karen said: “It’s so great to be a part of the Dingles in Emmerdale because you find yourself in so many different situations with so many different characters. It’s fantastic.” And when asked why the Dingles resonate so much with Inside Soap magazine's readers, she added: “It’s the storylines because you can weave a Dingle in any story; whether it’s high drama, high action, comedy, there’ll be a Dingle you can sew into the rug, definitely.”
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
