Andrea's blackmail of Jamie could go on for years, warns Emmerdale's Anna Nightingale
Mrs Tate plays dirty to keep her husband.
Andrea Tate (Anna Nightingale) is taking full advantage of husband Jamie Tate's (Alexander Lincoln) guilt at being responsible for the hit and run that has put Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) in a coma, threatening that if he leaves her for lover Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) she will tell the police he was behind the wheel.
It's a bold move from the wronged wife, who initially fled Emmerdale after Jamie chose his colleague over her. Hiding out in a hotel having dumped daughter Millie with her dad, Andrea's self-pity gives way to an unsettling assertive streak as she takes control of the situation and agrees to cover up her other half's crime - but at a price.
"Andrea knows Jamie is honest and wouldn't be able to live with himself for not telling the truth," says Nightingale. "She starts off wanting to support him, but that changes. She goes out of her way to make him see what he could lose by coming clean."
Wracked with guilt, Jamie is desperate to confide in Belle which Andrea acts quickly to shut down, knowing if he did that she would lose the new hold she has just gained over her man. So she plays her trump card, and forces him to dump her love rival and continue to live a lie as a married couple - otherwise he can kiss goodbye to his alibi for the night of the hit and run.
"Andrea realises Jamie is still in love with Belle, so she she tries to entice, manipulate and emotionally appeal to him back to her," continues Nightingale.
"She thinks if she can just make him fall for her again, it will bring them together. For him to reject her all the time, she realises it's not her game to win - but she will keep fighting!"
As twisted as her plan might be, fans will no doubt lap up Andrea discovering her inner Tate and finally exacting a long game of revenge against cheating Jamie by trapping him in a loveless marriage. But just how long a game are we talking?
"As events unfold her feelings change every day," teases Nightingale. "It becomes a case of making it clear to Jamie: 'If you go against me, you'll see what I am capable of'. If the police were involved would she manipulate the story or be accountable? We just don't know.
"Or would she go to the police so he goes to jail? She might risk Millie being without a father just so he can't be with Belle. It could play out for days, weeks, or even years…"
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