The newcomer’s past has been shrouded in mystery ever since viewers saw that he was keeping a set of army dog tags with the name “Aidan Moore” on them.

John was very reluctant to discuss his life before coming to Emmerdale, so there were theories that his connection to Aidan Moore might be sinister in nature. However, Tuesday’s (September 24) episode revealed that John’s secret was rooted in the grief of losing a close friend.

John had previously lashed out at Victoria for poking around his caravan, but the two subsequently agreed to put the incident behind them.

“What is it you want to know [about me],” John asked, with Victoria hesitantly replying: “We could start with Aidan.”

John revealed that Aidan had been his best mate, but died while they were serving together in Afghanistan. He recalled that the tragedy occurred with only weeks to go before troops were withdrawn from the country.

Aidan and John had taken a young Afghan recruit out for a kickabout when a bomb went off, killing the recruit instantly and mortally wounding Aidan.

“I tried my best to save him. I told him I could but I was lying, I had to,” he remembered. “I could see the fear in his eyes. I held his hand as he slowly slipped away.”

Victoria comforted the former medic as he confessed that the deadly incident caused him to quit the army and live a life of solitude traveling in his van.

“Aidan thought I could save him and I let him down,” John said. “I can never forgive myself for that.”

The vulnerable scene sets the stage for Victoria and John to bond for the first time, though they have more difficult moments on the horizon.

John is set to face turmoil in upcoming episodes as he’s both implicated in a crime by Aaron Dingle and caught up in lies about Arthur Thomas’s love life.