HOPE-LESS
Who was driving the car in Emmerdale? Top theories on who killed Heath Hope
Deceit surrounds Heath Hope's tragic death.
HEATH Hope drew his last breath as 2023 was coming to an end, leaving his loved ones heartbroken... and in need for answers.
His sister Cathy recently dropped a bombshell in Emmerdale. But what really happened on the night in question and who is guilty?
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1. Angelica keeps a secret
While the police have been trying to figure out what really happened to Heath Hope, their investigation led them straight to the only two people that could tell them more about the event - his sister and his girlfriend, Angelica King (portrayed by Rebecca Blakes).
As viewers will remember, the three teens decided to drive to a house party in Hotten for New Year's Eve and Cathy Hope's rebellious streak took over as they agreed to steal Wendy Posner's car.
But during their drive out of the eponymous ITV village, with Cathy (Gabrielle Dowling) behind the wheel, the youngsters' night turned into a nightmare.
Viewers of the Yorkshire-based program were never shown their accident and discovered the outcome of the joyride at the same time as a panicked Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) who went out to look for the group with Wendy (Susan Cookson).
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Heath was pronounced dead as he had suffered fatal injuries during the crash, prompting the police to take the case from a simple accident to a full-blown investigation for death by dangerous driving.
Both Cathy Hope and Angelica King were taken to the police station for questioning, with soap watchers initially throwing responsibility onto Cathy.
However, the teenager threw a spanner in the mix by claiming she wasn't behind the wheel at the time of Heath's fatal accident, despite scenes aired in which she was clearly driving prior, and never lost control of the vehicle.
Her finger was pointed straight to her pal, "Angel", whom she is adamant is responsible for the crash as she ended up driving the car herself.
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Meanwhile, in another room, Angelica was asked to talk about her own version of events with her mother Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) by her side.
Once she heard of Cathy's accusation, Angelica denied she was driving, throwing the blame back onto her friend... but viewers are convinced she is lying.
"I actually think Cathy might be telling the truth this time and Angelica was driving", one fan suggested on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Another theorised: "Bob won't believe Cathy coz of her track record and will give her a hard time, Angelica will eventually admit it was her and Cathy will hate Bob for not believing her. The end."
But what if there was more to it?
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2. Cathy is lying
In recent years, Cathy has shown that she is capable of wreaking havoc, from her shocking pregnancy plot hatched in an attempt to get rid of her PMDD symptoms to her bullying ordeal with April Windsor.
Angelica is likely guilty, according to multiple viewers, but if Cathy was actually responsible, wouldn't she have every reason to hide it?
As mentioned above, Cathy has a bad track record and rarely respects rules as it was witnessed when she drank alcohol in the company of Marshall Hamston last year.
Cathy also showed her anger had no limits due to her condition, Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) which is known as a severe form of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).
She was seen capable of exploding into fits of rage and one of them even led to her physically hurting her father Bob and attacking his partner Wendy.
Many quips are made about Angelica being just another King with a death under her belt, like her treacherous uncle, the infamous Carl King.
But what if Bob Hope's daughter Cathy was capable of killing like a King?
Could she have lost control of Wendy's car during an argument with one or both of her passengers?
Let's not forget that Cathy took driving lessons from her half-brother Scott Windsor while she was away from the Dales.
Did she really take note of her brother's wisdom?
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3. Mystery driver
Although Cathy and Angelica are the most obvious suspects, another option could be considered as driving in the Dales has often been the cause of death and tragedy.
In May, 2023, Angelica herself got an insight into the danger of driving when her mother had a nasty collision with Moira Dingle (Natalie J. Robb) as she was taking her to a dentist appointment.
Later on in 2023, Chloe Harris (Jessie Elland) was left to die by former fiancé Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) after a van crashed into her car, sending it straight onto the edge of a cliff.
Chloe was left in a coma for several days, with her life hanging by a fragile thread, but she eventually recovered and remembered the events that led her to be at death's door.
Many other accidents and crashes have taken place in the Dales throughout the decades.
And what could an inexperienced Cathy (or Angelica) do when faced with another reckless driver?
Could the teens have been chased and crashed into by another driver?
Could the frenzy of celebrating the New Year have caused one mystery driver to spiral out of control?
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4. Nobody is guilty
What if Heath Hope's death was nothing more than a stroke of bad luck?
Emmerdale storylines have always been focused on finding the culprit of a specific crime, from affairs to murder.
This means one could suggest that soap bosses may be trying something new to stir things up within the King and Hope families.
Could Wendy's car have had an unexpected flaw that could have led to Cathy or Angelica to lose control of the vehicle, thus causing Heath's death?
Could the car have been faulty from the get-go?
Whatever the case, Laura Shaw promised Heath's death will trigger massive changes in the village.
"There's also going to be tragedy in the village in January that's going to affect two of our most loved families", she said.
"It’s ultimately going to tear friendships apart and change the dynamics of one of those families forever."
Could Bob, who is convinced his daughter is responsible for the death of her brother, turn his back on Cathy?
Will Angelica tell the truth?
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Who is really responsible for Heath's demise?
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.
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