Belle has been at the centre of a coercive control storyline for months now, as her abusive husband Tom has tried to take control of her life and estrange her from her friends and family.

In the episode set for Thursday, September 5, the soap will showcase various ‘what-if’ scenarios, exploring ways Belle’s life could potentially go.

“I was so excited to record this episode,” she said. “I have worked with [director] Tim O’Mara since I was so young and I get on with him so well and it was lovely to do something that felt very different.

“There is one scene we repeat multiple times throughout the episode. And Belle is always the same but the people around her change clothes, change position or change speed and I think it’s a really good way to mark the start of different sequences in her brain.

“I think it’s a brave way to explore what is going on in her head… Because you never really see the imagination of a character. So to do a whole episode dedicated to her fears and her worries does feel very special.”

She continued: “Without spoiling anything, there are scenes that you wouldn’t get to normally film – unless they were in your imagination. So that was so fun for not only me but other characters involved too. We got to do things that if it had been ‘real Emmerdale’ we would not have done.

“The episode is a real journey. There are some really bizarre things, some really emotional things and I really enjoyed playing all those different versions of Belle.”

Eden added that she hasn’t seen the finished episode yet, and will see it for the first time alongside the fans watching the broadcast. She also added that this is going to be a pivotal episode in the storyline following on from recent developments.

“This is a new page in Belle’s life. It is a new chapter. It’s the start of Belle really taking matters into her own hands and finding strength and courage,” she said. “I think it is very important. Without saying the ending, I really enjoyed what the ending entailed.”