Emmerdale Kim Tate's new man Eddie 'exposed' - and it's a former character

Viewers think they have unmasked Emmerdale's mystery new character Eddie on the ITV soap.

There could be an identity twist amid Kim Tate's secret new romance, with her shown messaging the unknown man. But with his name revealed to be Eddie, some fans wondered if it could be a past character with the same name.

On Monday night Kim was heard discussing her new man, with new details about their life. Kim revealed he was a very private person, and so he has not told her much about himself or his life.

What Kim did know though was that he was married and had lost his wife. He's also said to be very wealthy, with Kim confessing he made a lot of money as a cosmetic surgeon.

This rang alarm bells for some fans wondering if it was all a scam. But some viewers were also left wondering if Eddie was using his real name, and was someone who had actually been on the show before.

There was a character named Eddie Hope on the show in 2003 and 2007. He was the brother of current character Bob Hope. He's not really been mentioned since he left, but could he be making a surprise return to the show?

READ MORE: Emmerdale fans 'solve' who's really targeting Joe - and they're not working alone

Some fans were speculating Eddie was the real name of the guy who was messaging Kim, and that it could be Bob's brother whether it was a scam romance or not. Taking to social media, one fan said: "It's Bob's brother," as another wrote: "Didn’t know Bob had a brother! Probably a scammer."

A third fan said: "Didn't Bob have a brother called Eddie? Could he be returning?" Other fans were sure Kim was lying about the man to shield his real identity.

One theory was that she was secretly seeing Billy Fletcher, the ex-husband of her stepdaughter Dawn Taylor. Another theory suggested new villain Ray was the Eddie she was messaging, while Bear was also tipped to be Kim's new man.

One fan said: "Hope it's Billy.... cat amongst the pigeons then." Another agreed: "What if it's Billy? I mean how funny would it be and Dawn and Joe's face when they find out."

A further comment said: "It's Billy," with loads of other fans in agreement. Meanwhile one fan theorised: "It turns out, it’s actually the new drug kingpin in the village: Ray!" Another fan said: "Is it Bear? His real name is Edward."

One theory also suggested Eddie could be married to new farmer Celia. They said: "Oh let me guess: secretive 'cosmetic surgeon' Eddie's wife is actually still alive, renting a farm next to Butlers, and she's called Celia."

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 , and Threads.