Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham) has been left devastated by the death of 'uncle' Jimmy King (Nick Miles) in Emmerdale. Jimmy died last month when his car crashed through the marquee on Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) and Joe Tate's (Ned Porteous) wedding day. Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) caused the accident when Gabby called him for a chat. Vinny answered the phone to share his excitement about buying an engagement ring but didn't see Jimmy, who swerved to avoid him, leading to the crash.
Why does Gabby call Jimmy her uncle?
Gabby isn't related to Jimmy by blood, but he is her uncle via marriage. Her mother is Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles), who is Nicola's sister. Bernice has always been very close to Nicola, who married Jimmy after they first got together in 2009. Gabby was born in 2001, so for most of her life Jimmy was married to her aunt, meaning she would have thought of him as an integral part of her family.
Gabby also has a close bond with stepmother Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy), who was married to her dad Ashley (John Middleton). Laurel was like a second mum to Gabby and is best mates with Nicola, so Gabby would have been in Nicola and Jimmy's orbit quite a bit over the years.
What happens next?
Vinny confessed to his role in the accident earlier in the week, while Gabby was kicked out of Home Farm. Laurel took her in to live with her, but this will inevitably lead to conflict with Nicola, who isn't pleased with Gabby over what she's done.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 or streams from 7am on ITVX.
