Laurel Thomas (also Potts and Dingle) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, played by Charlotte Bellamy. She debuted on screen during the episode airing on 3 September 2002. Laurel has been off-screen at various times while Bellamy has taken maternity leave. Laurel is perhaps best known for her thoughtful and caring attitude towards other characters, however, this changed dramatically in 2015 when she developed an addiction to alcohol, which often caused her to become violent and aggressive towards other characters. Her storylines include her first and second marriages to Ashley Thomas (John Middleton), the highly publicised cot death storyline in which Laurel and Ashley's adoptive baby son dies but it transpires that their biological baby is still alive as he was accidentally swapped with another baby at the hospital, mentally unstable Sally Spode (Siân Reeves) trying to murder Laurel on numerous occasions, discovering Ashley's abuse of his elderly father Sandy (Freddie Jones), her relationship and marriage to Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock), being carjacked by Ross Barton (Michael Parr) and becoming obsessed with getting her revenge on him, sliding into alcoholism when she begins to struggle with life, a reunion with Ashley, coping with Ashley's vascular dementia, going into premature labour which resulted in the birth of her and Ashley's daughter, Dotty, coming to terms with Ashley's death, her friendship with fellow widow, Emma Barton (Gillian Kearney) which later turns bitter when she becomes obsessed with proving she murdered her husband, James (Bill Ward); and an affair with Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw).