What is Billy and Marlon’s connection in Emmerdale? Past history explained

Marlon and Billy go way back (Picture: ITV / Metro) When Billy Fletcher’s (Jay Kontzle) would fell apart in Emmerdale, he sought solace and support from Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock), who wasted little time in offering him the world’s warmest hug. Billy, as viewers know, is utterly bereft in the wake of ex Dawn Taylor’s (Olivia Bromley) demise and the tragic circumstances surrounding her death has made the whole thing much worse. Dawn, as viewers know, left Billy for Joe Tate (Ned Porteous), who she planned to wed last week. With assistance from Caleb Miligan (William Ash), who had his own agenda, Billy attempted to get Dawn out of the country and away from villainous Joe before they exchanged vows, but the whole thing backfired. Horrified, Dawn told Billy that she hates him and made it clear Joe was the man she wanted to marry. But after an explosion at the marquee, Dawn went into labour and delivered her baby – and subsequently died. Billy found himself public enemy number one with the Home Farm residents in the aftermath and, after telling Lucas and Clemmie of their mum’s death, he headed to the Woolpack to see Marlon, who offered him all the support. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video You might be wondering why exactly Marlon was who Billy sought out, especially given that he hasn’t spent much time in the chef’s orbit as of late, but the two characters have quite the history. If you’re keen for a refresher, we got you covered. What is Billy’s connection to Marlon in Emmerdale? Marlon, as longtime Emmerdale fans might recall, was at one stage Billy’s stepfather after he married the personal trainer’s mum Jessie Grant (Sandra Marvin). Jessie was introduced as a primary school headteacher who crossed paths with Marlon and Paddy (Dominic Brunt) in 2017 when they spoke to her about the redundancy of Leo’s teaching assistant. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. It didn’t take long for sparks to fly between Marlon and Jessie and, soon after, Jessie’s son Ellis (Asan N’jie / Aaron Anthony) was introduced. Marlon was married to Billy’s mum Jessie (Picture:ITV/Shutterstock) Billy, meanwhile, arrived much later due to him having been in prison- something which caused quite a bit of conflict for the new couple. What’s more, Jessie’s insistence on Billy’s innocence led to a rift between she and Ellis, with Marlon stuck in the middle. Jessie and Marlon married on Christmas Day 2018, with Billy making his grand debut during the ceremony. Later, the family moved into Tall Trees Cottage. Marlon was apprehensive about the prospect of Billy coming to stay with them at first, but he soon agreed. Despite a rocky start to their relationship, Billy and Marlon soon became close (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock) Billy and Ellis’ never-ending feud, however, soon got on Marlon’s nerves and he worried about they impact all the fighting would have on his relationship with Jessie and on April (Amelia Flanagan). Drama aplenty would follow for the clan in 2019, with Ellis stabbed on a night out, Jessie shot by an intruder and the arrival of Jessie’s ex Al Chapman (Michael Wildman), who well and truly scuppered Marlon and Jessie’s marriage. After Jessie slept with Al, her and Marlon’s union came to an end and she left the village as a result. Though Marlon split from Jessie, he maintained a close bond with stepson Billy (Picture: ITV / Shutterstock) Despite his relationship with Jessie concluding, however, Billy and Marlon have maintained a close bond, with Marlon proving to be the father figure that Billy often needs, offering advice and support when required. With Billy having spent much of the past three years up at Home Farm with Dawn, Kim Tate (Claire King) and the kids, we’ve not seen his and Marlon’s dynamic explored much as of late so long-time viewers will no doubt appreciate seeing them together again. Deals of the Day The viral LED face mask with over 350 lights that's currently discounted by £100 A friend said I looked 'snatched' – I credit this new Charlotte Tilbury powder Shop MySweetSmile's biggest Bank Holiday offers before they end Back-to-school shopping just got a lot cheaper thanks to Primark The back-to-school essential parents forget every year – and it could cost them Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 or stream from 7am on ITVX and YouTube. If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage. Arrow MORE: Is Emmerdale on tonight? 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