Contains major spoilers for Monday's Emmerdale episode (17th March 2025), currently available to stream on ITVX.

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Joe Tate's (Ned Porteous) big secret has finally been confirmed in the latest edition of Emmerdale - with another sinister plot also on the way.

For months now, viewers have known that Joe has an ulterior motive for being back in the village, and his actions were the catalyst for the fatal limousine crash after he drugged half-brother Noah Dingle (Jack Downham).

As the ITV soap continued, Joe was distracted and clearly not well as he turned down married lover Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley).

After rejecting Dawn again, Joe was left alone in his room at Home Farm - and if you hadn't guessed it already, this was the moment that the nature of Joe's illness was unveiled.

Joe opened his mysterious suitcase, which held a dialysis machine. A visit from Crowley then told us that Joe has chronic kidney disease, and now we know that Joe is seeking a kidney transplant.

It was for this reason that Joe had targeted Noah, although he and Crowley had failed to check if the young man was a donor match first.

With Noah having escaped the pair's clutches and remaining unaware of what really happened that night, Joe commented that the drugging had been a mistake.

Yet he was determined that his donor had to be a relative, and Joe already had a new plan at the ready - whether the character consented to giving away their kidney or not!

Is this storyline set to get even darker? It appears so, but what's Joe's next move?

Anyone affected by chronic kidney disease can read more on the NHS website or visit Kidney research UK.

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Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.

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Authors

Laura Denby
Laura DenbyFreelance Writer

Laura Denby is a Freelance Soaps writer covering all the latest news in the Dales, Cobbles and East End for Radio Times. She's a soaps nerd with a love for comedy drama, and has also written for Digital Spy, Metro UK and Yahoo UK.

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