A beloved Emmerdale star has confirmed their short break from the soap, but could this spell trouble for their character?

It's been a busy few months for Paddy Dingle (played by Dominic Brunt) after he discovered that his dad, Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards), was being held captive by villains Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray Walters (Joe Absolom).

Ray notably killed his mother on New Year's Day, shortly before meeting a similar fate at the hands of Bear. Paddy and Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle) then decided to cover up Ray's murder, weeks before a guilty Bear confessed to the crime.

This week, Emmerdale has been airing a court trial that's centred around Bear, Paddy and Dylan, with a jury being urged to decide whether any of the trio is guilty. The proceedings were going well until defence witness Simo Clarke (Steven Gidwaney) unexpectedly turned on the stand, making Bear out to be in cahoots with Ray.

After the court adjourned, Bear's defence lawyer explained the situation and, left with no other choice, she suggested putting Bear on the stand the next day, with Paddy reluctantly agreeing. Will Bear be up to sharing his side of the story?

Actor Dominic Brunt, who plays Paddy, appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (May 5), where he spoke to hosts Ed Balls and Kate Garraway about the trial storyline. Ed soon asked about Paddy's prison prospects, saying: "What's your feeling about whether he deserves it?"

Dominic replied: "Well, you can't go round murdering people, no matter what, then hiding bodies in vans. You can't do it, can you?" Sharing her worry for Paddy, Kate then said: "Oh, no! But what does it mean for you?"

The soap star continued: "[They] have to let the law take its course, you have to... You have to believe in the legal system, don't you? You have to. That would be no good for us in Emmerdale because the graveyard's full at the moment. You have to go around murdering some people."

Kate commented: "Just as long as this isn't the end of Dominic as Paddy, because we love you in it."

Teasing a possible exit, Dominic then revealed: "Well, I've got a bit of time off now, so I can't tell you what happens."

"Oh, what are we reading into that?" Kate replied, with Dominic adding: "I might be on holiday, I don't know."

Ed then said: "On holiday at Her Majesty's pleasure?" with the actor concluding: "Maybe, who knows!"

Paddy's fate was confirmed in Tuesday's (May 5) episode, which is now available to stream on ITVX. In tense scenes, the jury foreman revealed that they had found one defendant guilty and the other two not guilty.

While many viewers may assume the guilty party was Bear, it was actually Paddy who received a 12-month suspended sentence, to be served over two years. "A man died, and even though he was evil and he was cruel, someone had to be held accountable for that," Paddy said to his dad as they stood in a vacant field after the trial.

Paddy's suspended sentence means he can stay in the village. But some fans believe this could change, with one person writing on a Facebook fan page: "Paddy could get wrong place wrong time and he'll be jailed."

Another added: "Why do I think this isn't the end for Paddy?" while a third said: "I think Paddy will have to spend time in jail at some point."

Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 8pm on ITV1 and STV, while Coronation Street airs weekday nights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and STV as part of ITV's new soap power hour scheduling pattern for Coronation Street and Emmerdale