The mysterious body below the ice in Emmerdale was revealed to be that of Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter) back in February. In tonight’s episode, his friends and family will learn the truth about his disappearance.

When Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson) fell through the ice and found herself fighting for her life in the icy waters, her horror was compounded by the fact that she wasn’t alone.

Floating nearby was the lifeless body of someone, and the only clue we had initially was a tell-tale bracelet on their wrist.

Eagle-eyed fans spotted that the bracelet was eerily similar to the one that Nate Robinson was wearing before he left the village, and it turns out that the dead body is indeed that of Nate.

Who was Nate Robinson in Emmerdale?

Nate is the son of Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), although Cain never knew of Nate’s existence until his arrival in the village in 2019.

Nate believed that Cain had abandoned him and his mother, and set out to take revenge against his father by having an affair with Moira (Natalie J. Robb) – who was obviously unaware that she was sleeping with her step-son at the time.

When Cain discovered the affair he staged a showdown with Nate and Moira in a boat – which then exploded. Nate unexpectedly called Cain ‘Dad,’ which was the first time Cain had any inkling that Nate could be his son.

Despite this dramatic start to their relationship, eventually Cain and Nate were reconciled.

Nate pursued a relationship with Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh), and she became pregnant with their daughter, Frankie. Tracy left the village in 2022 with Frankie, but returned again in July 2023.

It was revealed that she and Nate had been seeing each other again and they were married in what was supposed to be a secret wedding.

What happened to Nate Robinson in Emmerdale?

After Tracy had an affair with Caleb Miligan (William Ash), Nate and Tracy’s marriage broke down again and Tracy asked for a divorce. Nate was devastated about the affair and also about the breakdown of his relationship.

After a while they seemed to have repaired things, but a false accusation from Cain that Nate was having an affair with Moira again destroyed things, as Tracy believed Cain and Nate was shattered by her lack of trust in him.

Subsequently Nate announced that he’d taken a job in Shetland and left the village.

When did we last see Nate alive?

Nate left the soap in September 2024 – but his exit left a lot of fans feeling there were some unanswered questions about the way he apparently just vanished.

Jurell Carter took to social media to confirm that he had, indeed, left and his final scenes had aired. ‘I’m excited for my future but I’m also sad to be leaving behind such a beautiful show and beautiful people,’ he said.

In the days following Nate’s departure from the show there was a fire at Butlers and fans wondered whether Nate would be caught up in that. Basically, there was a sense that there was more to his exit than simply ‘going to Shetland’ – which turned out to be true.

How did Nate’s body get into the lake?

We learnt in April that John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) killed Nate last year, and then disposed of his body in the lake.

In an episode that featured flashback scenes, it was established that John lives with a hero complex. He orchestrates terrible situations and then steps in to fix them, looking like a great person in front of the Emmerdale residents.

When it comes to Nate, John attempted to help him after he was attacked by Cain. He gave Nate some medication but he reacted badly to it, leading to his death.

What happens in Emmerdale tonight?

Nate’s loved ones decided to stop trying to contact him a few weeks ago, when a man arrived at Tracy’s front door and explained he had come to collect Nate’s belongings.

To the likes of Tracy and Cain, it was a sign that Nate no longer wanted anything to do with his family in the Dales. In reality, the plan was created by John, who was worried about Cain going to Shetland to find his son.

Following the police’s discovery of a body in the lake, Ruby (Beth Cordingly) convinced herself that it was her father Anthony Fox.

In tonight’s episode, it won’t take long until all the Emmerdale residents learn that it is actually Nate, and that he was murdered by someone nine months ago.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.