Emmerdale's Ryan Hawley confirms Robert Sugden future on soap after dramatic return

But on Wednesday’s episode (28th May) the ITV soap delivered a huge twist as Robert made a comeback to the Dales after six years away – and crashed the wedding of his ex-husband Aaron Dingle and half-brother John Sugden.

While it had been rumoured that Hawley was re-joining the show for a short stint only, the star recently confirmed to The Mirror that Ryan will be back permanently.

"The secret is out today! My character is returning permanently and not just for Aaron and John’s wedding. I am back for good, and I am so excited to be playing Robert again," he said.

RadioTimes.com has contacted ITV for comment.

Fans will know Aaron's fiancé John accidentally killed Nate Robinson last month and dumped his body in the lake. Could Robert know something about his crimes?

Speaking about what fans can expect from Robert’s return, Hawley continued: "[Robert] causes disasters wherever he goes, but on this occasion, he wants to stop the wedding – and while it will cause chaos, it’s also the right thing to do, because we know John isn’t right for Aaron."

Meanwhile, speaking to Digital Spy about the storyline, Hawley said: "Robert's back after six years! And a lot has happened during this time in the village and for Robert. Two very different worlds – the village and Robert's reality in prison. And out of the blue, just in the nick of time, Robert turns up at Aaron's wedding to John."

He continued: "It sets up a fantastic few episodes to finish off the wedding week, which shows how the incident of Robert turning up will resolve itself. It's a massive dilemma for Aaron, who's found John as a new love in his life and then he's got Robert, who used to be the love of his life, turn up!

He added: "He's got a massive decision to make. I guess all the weight is on Aaron's shoulders. What's Robert doing there, has he got ulterior motives, does he know something about John? How has he even found out that this wedding was taking place?

"There's a lot to unpick and so much to be revealed over the next few nights. It's a great few episodes and I'm really excited to see them."

Read more:

• Emmerdale finally confirms Heartstopper star's mystery role – and it's connected to a major character
• Emmerdale's Danny Miller teases 'surprises not everyone will like' in upcoming Aaron and John wedding
• 6 Emmerdale spoilers: Kim Tate takes charge of Joe Tate feud and John Sugden is caught out
• Emmerdale reveals John Sugden's secrets in dark flashbacks in ITVX edition
• Emmerdale airs sinister John Sugden mystery in ITVX episode
• Emmerdale confirms John Sugden flashbacks to reveal secret truths about mysterious character
• Emmerdale airs police cliffhanger for Sarah Sugden in ITVX episode

Emmerdale airs Mondays to Fridays at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.

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