Emmerdale viewers witnessed vile Tom King gaslight and mock his wife Belle Dingle in the latest episode, as we saw a shift in his abuse towards her.
Amid the ITV soap tackling a coercive control storyline with the couple, his abuse escalated hugely as his manipulation turned into cruel comments about her appearance, and him mocking her mental health. A day on from him deliberately knocking her self-esteem and trying to make her feel worthless, Tom upped the aggression in the latest episode while trying to make it seem as though Belle was in the wrong.
So far, we've seen Tom work on isolating Belle from her friends and family, while also trying to force her to give up her career. Tom wants to control Belle's life and stop her having any freedom, with him encouraging her to stay at home all day and care for their puppy Piper.
Tom has also put pressure on Belle to start a family, while making digs at her and her family to make her feel as though Tom is better than her. But with the manipulation and control escalating, he's finally got what he wanted in keeping tabs on her via the puppy cam and the new home security cameras, not to mention the tracking app he installed on her phone.
It seems he's moved onto the next phase of his abuse now that he's happy with the level of control he has over Belle. In the previous episode, Tom flirted with Gabby Thomas and listed all the amazing things about her in front of Belle.
As well as trying to paint Belle as the controlling one, suggesting she ruined his fun and "tied him down", he then proceeded to use Gabby as a means of trying to make Belle feel insecure. He praised Gabby as being a successful businesswoman who did the right thing by having a child when she was young.
On Friday, Belle confronted Tom over how he was with Gabby admitting it made her feel anxious, and she questioned why he married her. Tom turned on Belle over this, using her anxiety and mental health against her, suggesting there was no issue and she was creating one.
But at the same time he continued to drop digs, claiming Gabby dressed better than Belle did and that his wife "could learn a few things from her". He said Gabby "always looks great" and referred to her as a woman, before referring to Belle as a girl.
When Belle pointed out how he made her feel inadequate, Tom fumed at her and said his love for her never seemed enough. He suggested her anxieties had ruined the fun day he had planned for them, before making Belle feel like she needed to change her outfit.
As she did this, he told her she looked "fine" and threw a sulk over her apparently taking too long to get ready, before referring to her outfit as "that" suggesting there was something wrong with it. He once again made her insecure as he complimented Gabby's appearance, before telling her it should mean something to her that he chose to marry her over other girls.
He took things further when he basically told her to "stop whinging" and that she needed to stop feeling anxious, and to never bring up her feelings or her past with him as that was apparently done with. It's then that he physically dragged her out the door to go to the fair, telling her they needed to go before she moaned about anything else.
Viewers watching the moment unfold took to X furious for Belle, with one writing: "Did Tom really say to Belle about her dress sense?" Another said: "Shut up Tom!" As a third added: "I really want Tom to get exposed and get his comeuppance."
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.* Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .