Emmerdale actor James Chase has opened up about the public reaction to his character Tom King’s abusive storyline with Belle Dingle. Since their relationship began, Tom’s true colors have emerged, revealing a pattern of mental and physical abuse. The situation has worsened since Belle discovered she was pregnant, leading to even more danger for her.

Despite Tom’s excitement about becoming a father, Belle secretly decided to terminate the pregnancy. When she lies to Tom about having a miscarriage, his rage escalates, culminating in a violent outburst in a barn that results in him being electrocuted while Belle flees the village.

In an interview with Digital Spy and other media outlets, James explained the public’s reaction to the harrowing storyline. “I haven’t had any eggs thrown at me or anything like that. It’s been good, to be honest,” he said. The actor was prepared for viewers’ strong reactions, knowing that they would dislike his character.

“I always knew this role was going to have this storyline within it,” James continued. “Even when Tom seemed like a relatively good guy for the first six months, I knew this was going to happen because that was the agreement we had initially.” He emphasized the importance of portraying the storyline realistically, acknowledging that such abuse happens in real life.

James added, “Like me and Eden [Belle’s actress] have said before, you have to honor the storyline as realistically as possible because this is something that does go on. If the audience hates you, it’s a good sign that you’re doing it properly.”