Is Anthony alive in Emmerdale? True fate 'rumbled' as spoilers tease return

There could be an almighty twist on next week involving a supposedly dead character.

Viewers have been guessing for weeks that Anthony Fox will show up alive after his murder at the hands of Ruby Miligan months ago. She killed her abusive dad moments after Aaron Dingle attacked him, with Aaron's partner John Sugden then disposing of the body.

There's now a group of people in on the murder cover-up, with the latest being Ruby's daughter Steph Miligan. Steph is in turmoil after finding out grandfather Anthony is in fact her biological father, after he sexually abused Ruby as a teenager.

But next week things take a turn and a twist could air. As upcoming episodes this week see the Miligans reeling after they receive a flower delivery 'from Anthony', Steph becomes convinced he is still alive and out to get them.

As her mental health spirals she visits the site where John has claimed to have buried Anthony in the woods. She's found by her parents clawing away at the ground, trying to find the body to prove whether or not he is there.

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But a discovery by all three of them leaves them concerned and soon they confront John, believing he could be lying about Anthony's burial place. In fact, it only strengthens Steph's view that Anthony is not really dead, and soon Caleb and Ruby are wondering the same.

The trio realise the ground covering the apparent grave is undisturbed, and quite difficult to get through. They realise nothing has been buried there any time recently, and that for something to be under this ground John would have needed assistance.

Will Ash, who plays Caleb, revealed the discovery makes them realise John would have needed a mechanical digger in order to get a body buried deep. With John not having access to one of these it sparks suspicions from everyone.

As they confront John about their find, what will he say? Is Steph onto something about Anthony's real fate, and is he actually alive?

Viewers certainly think so and have shared their theory for weeks. After seeing the latest spoilers about the flowers and John's lie, more fans shared their thoughts on what was really going on.

One fan said: "I have said all along he’s not dead. They only have John’s word for it. Considering the state everyone was in at the time, it was all sorted and dealt with too easily, and the only one who 'knows' that Anthony is dead is John."

Another theory read: "I reckon John has kept him alive. That’s why he didn’t want to tell them where he was," as a third added: "Nobody from memory ever confirmed Anthony was actually dead." A fourth fan posted: "If Anthony is recovering or recovered as many think, he has to be working with John."

The comments kept on coming with another reading: "I’ve said it all the time," as a further post said: "He’s not dead John has him." Another fan wrote: "I think John works for the police and Anthony isn't dead."

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on , , , , , and .