Joanie Dingle

Joanie Dingle (previously Wright) was the adoptive grandmother of Amy Wyatt and Cain Dingle's son Kyle Winchester, and wife of Cain’s father Zak Dingle.
==Biography==
===2013: Karen's death and getting to know Amy===
Joanie's daughter Karen Winchester and her husband Tom adopt Kyle but they sadly died in July 2013 leaving Joanie to raise Kyle herself. Amy attends Karen and Tom's funeral and at the wake she sees Joanie and Kyle and befriends her claiming to be an old friend of Karen. Amy begins babysitting Kyle regularly but it stops when Amy's foster father Eric Pollard visits Joanie and lets slip that Amy is Kyle's biological mother. Joanie bars Amy from seeing Kyle. In November Amy sets off the fire alarm of a community centre where Joanie and Kyle attend a mother and toddler group and takes Kyle in the confusion. She intends to board a ferry to Ireland but Cain stops Amy at the docks and takes Kyle back to Joanie.
===2015: Moving to the village===
By June 2015, Joanie is living in a bedsit with Kyle after she lost her house and all her money due to her late husband not paying his tax. She contacts Cain to ask him for a loan so she can put down a deposit on a flat that she and Kyle would be safe in. He gives her the money, on the condition that he does not see her or Kyle again. The following day Joanie come's to the village after being mugged. She asks Eric and his wife Val to take her and Kyle in, but Val says Kyle is welcome, but she is not. Cain spots her at the bus stop and refuses to give her more money but Cain's father Zak Dingle and step-mother Lisa, agree to allow Joanie and Kyle stay at Wishing Well Cottage until she gets herself on her feet. Joanie begins to tutor Belle Dingle. Whilst walking in the village, Amy's mother Kerry Wyatt is surprised to see her grandson but Joanie bans her from seeing him, as she nearly lost Kyle because of Kerry and Amy. She changes her mind and allows Kerry to see Kyle supervised and agrees to let her see Kyle again. Whilst Kerry is looking after Kyle he wanders off and Joanie finds him by the river. Kerry makes excuses but Joanie see through them and Kerry goes to get drunk. Kerry's partner Dan Spencer tries to persuade Joanie to allow Kerry to see Kyle. Belle invited Joanie and Kyle to Cain's daughter Debbie's wedding to Pete Barton and asked Cain's wife Moira to persuade Cain to let Joanie and Kyle come. Cain did not want Kyle or Joanie there but his sister Chas allowed them to attend. Whilst at the reception, Chrissie Sugden caused a helicopter come crashing down on the village hall. Joanie was pulled to safety but nobody could find Kyle. April Windsor mentioned that she saw Kyle hiding under the kitchen sink before the crash. Cain went back into the building and managed to coax Kyle out. Cain and Kyle were still in the building when it blew up, leaving Joanie fearing the worse, but Cain manages to escape with Kyle in his arms.
In late September, Joanie falls off a wall whilst trying to get a mobile signal, Zak finds her and she goes to hospital, where she is informed that she has broken her leg. The doctor insists that she must take it easy so the Dingle's draw up a rota to help with looking after Kyle. Whilst Cain's wife Moira is with Kyle in the village, he spots Joanie and runs across the road to see her, unaware that a speeding car is coming round the corner. The driver breaks in time and Kyle is unharmed, but Joanie gives Kyle a smack. Cain is furious that Joanie slapped Kyle, as he himself was reguarlly beaten by Shadrach growing up. Cain threatens Joanie that she will have him to deal with if she ever hits Kyle again, but he still insists that he wants nothing to do with Kyle. The following day, Kerry lets it slip to Kyle that Cain is his dad.
===2015-2016: Affair and marriage with Zak Dingle===
In late November 2015, a confused Joanie storms through Wishing Well Cottage thinking that she is being kicked out because of being told on. Zak says she isn't and they frantically kiss. They had an affair, but Belle revealed on Christmas Day that they had an affair. She revealed it to The Dingles, Gordon Livesy and Ross Barton. A couple of days later, Lisa slapped Zak for their affair. Just before New Year, a party is held at The Woolpack for everyone. Kerry stuck up for Joanie. Lisa and Belle walk in and storm back out again because Zak and Joanie are there. Belle says she will be out in a minute and spits on Joanie's face.
Just after New Year, Belle told Joanie that Lisa had an angina attack, but the way she heard it was that Lisa was drunk. Belle slapped Joanie and started to attack Joanie, but Cain dragged Belle away and said it ain't worth it.
While in the forest, Megan Macey goes into labour with her daughter. She is with Sam Dingle who rushes off to find help. On the same day, Zak is giving Joanie a shooting lesson. Joanie aims at a tree, but accidentally shoots Sam in the forehead. Sam fell over and hit his head against a tree stump. Joanie thinks she has killed Sam, but Zak says she hasn't. Megan tried to stand and start looking for Sam, but she had to sit back down because she was in labour.
The following month, Joanie couldn't find her ring. She accused Lisa of stealing her ring, but it was Belle that found it. Belle says that Joanie stole Zak from her and Lisa and she can't steal other people's family members just because Karen is dead. Joanie slapped Belle with force. Zak, having just walked into the factory, saw what Joanie had done to Belle.
In August 2016, Joanie got married to Zak. Unbeknownst to them was that a little part of the wedding was witnessed by Lisa. Joanie began to see that Zak may still be in love with Lisa, but didn't think much of it at first. However, the thought starts eating her up.
===2016-2017: Death===
In December 2016, Joanie and Zak's marriage breaks down, and he unsuccessfully tries to reunite with Lisa. In the pub, Joanie defends Kerry from a deadbeat punter, and she punches him, so the guy has Joanie arrested. While being questioned, Joanie accidentally punches a police officer, earning her a month in prison.
In January 2017, Lisa picks up Joanie from prison, and on the way back, she stops the van and reveals she and Zak have gotten back together. Virtually moments after hearing the news, Joanie goes into cardiac arrest and dies. Lisa breaks the news to a devastated Zak.
==Residences==
Address 	Duration
Hotten 	Until 2015
House on rough estate 	2015 to 18th June 2015
Wishing Well Cottage 	18th June 2015 to 25th December 2015
The Grange (temporary) 	25th December 2015 to 28th December 2015
Dale Head 	28th December 2015 to 30th December 2016
Skipdale Women's Prison	30th December 2016 to 30th January 2017
==Additional Information==
*Joanie's first boyfriend was a cross dresser.
*In September 2018, 21 months after Joanie's death, it was revealed that she was aware that Charity's father had sent Zak a letter at some point in 2016 but she and Zak made the decision not to tell Charity, fearing it would send her over the edge.
*At Zak's wake in October 2024, Chas Dingle told Bear Wolf that the Dingles don't speak of Joanie when discussing Zak's various partners over the years.
==Quotes==
"I spent all morning making that." - spoken after Lisa throws Joanie's lasagne at the wall.
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"I'd do anything to go back to that." - Joanie's last words, spoken to Lisa, referring to their lost friendship, before Joanie suddenly goes into cardiac arrest and dies.
==See also==
*Full list of appearances
Category:Emmerdale characters
Category:2013 debuts
Category:2017 departures
Category:2016 marriages
Category:2017 deaths
Category:Wright family
Category:Dingle family
Category:Teachers
Category:Factory workers
Category:Sharma & Sharma employees
Category:Residents of Hotten
Category:Residents of Wishing Well Cottage
Category:Residents of Dale Head