Zak Dingle's biggest Emmerdale storylines over the years
Actor Steve Halliwell has died aged 77
To celebrate the life of the late, great Emmerdale legend Steve Halliwell, who has passed away aged 77, let's take a look at his four biggest storylines as patriarch farmer Zak Dingle.
Announcing his death, the soap star's family shared in a statement: "He was making us laugh to the end, the most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for."
No cause has been confirmed at the time of writing.
Testicular cancer diagnosis
Seven years after entering the village in a bizarre bare-knuckle boxing plot involving his enemy Ned Glover, Zak was told by doctors that he had testicular cancer in 2001.
Having given his longtime pal Seth Armstrong the wrong idea initially, he finally came forward with the worrying news. However, when Zak admitted to not wanting any treatment, Seth, his son Sam and nephew Marlon took it upon themselves to kidnap him in order to bring their flatcap-wearing relative to his senses.
He recovered well after being committed to hospital.
Cain Dingle attack
Christmastime 2011 really shook up the Dingle clan, with Zak at the centre of a violent outburst on his son Cain — apparently wanting to teach him a lesson over treating people terribly.
With Cain hospitalised, Zak seemed extremely uncomfortable around his nearest and dearest, so much so that he refused to even visit Cain's bedside.
The guilty father was eventually forced into coming clean after Cain plotted to blame Jai Sharma for the crime. Despite the pair's relationship not being affected by this shocking twist, Zak's shame weighed so heavily that he disappeared for a while.
Sectioned
Following the Cain drama, a booze-reliant Zak took his grandson Samson poaching and accidentally left his phone in the van. His wife Lisa and son Sam were understandably concerned when they couldn't reach them, but fortunately, Megan Macey stumbled upon them.
Having been warned by Sam to stay away from his son, a few weeks later, a scan revealed several abnormalities in Zak's body, with fears pointing towards pancreatic cancer.
Such was the stress he went through, Zak sunk into a deep paranoia. His chickens were declared healthy by a vet, but in the throes of mental illness, Zak killed them.
His problems descended further, convincing himself and the Dingles that he had pancreatic cancer, despite the doctors' confirmation that this was not the case. It later became apparent that Zak had suffered a nervous breakdown and was eventually sectioned.
Divorces and marriages
Having begun his 29-year Emmerdale tenure married to Nellie, Zak was devastatingly cast adrift when she left the village to look after her ailing dad Jimmy and never returned.
Lisa Clegg then appeared in his life and soon enough they became an item. In 1998, the married couple welcomed their first child together Belle, who arrived out of the blue as Lisa wasn't even aware of her pregnancy.
Zak and Lisa's union was unsuccessfully challenged, though, when Nellie later came back for her ex-husband.
Skip to 2015 and his daughter Belle caught Zak cheating on Lisa with their lodger Joanie Wright, but in the end, after Joanie's untimely death, the pair reunited.
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