Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) has finally revealed his health diagnosis in Emmerdale after months of secret keeping.
Having left the village six years prior, the businessman’s return at Christmas saw him unmasked as the person who had been secretly helping Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) scheme against wife Kim.
But after Will then died of a heart attack, Kim and Joe appear to have put their differences aside.
It was then suggested that Joe was playing the long game and reconnecting with his family member was all part of his plan. This week, the truth about his shifty behaviour was exposed, as we learnt the reasons behind his health problems.
So, where are we up to in the storyline? Here’s everything we know so far.
What is wrong with Joe in Emmerdale?
In episode that have aired this week, we discovered Joe Tate is living with chronic kidney disease after being diagnosed with Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency.
Joe’s friend and surgeon Doctor Crowley sat with him as he underwent another round of dialysis treatment. They spoke about Joe wanting a kidney donated to him from a blood relative – but not Noah Dingle (Jack Downham).
Joe and Crowley spiked Noah and brought him to a private hospital in February. They aimed to force Noah into an organ donation without his consent, but they then learnt he wasn’t a match for Joe.
Noah was then sent away, but his drugged state led him to wandering in front of a limo being driven by Charity (Emma Atkins), which spiralled into the vehicle crashing onto a lake.
What is AAT?
Joe’s chronic kidney disease is as a result of him living with the AAT deficiency.
It is diagnosed when someone lives with lower effective concentrations of AAT in their blood. AAT itself is an inhibitor that is transported to the lungs and produced in the liver.
It means someone with the diagnosis is at risk of developing conditions such as COPD or liver problems, or issues with their kidneys.
Who is will donate a kidney to Joe Tate?
Whether his family member agrees to the donation doesn’t seem to be an issue for Joe but in tonight’s episode (now available to watch on ITVX), we discovered he hopes his uncle Caleb Miligan (William Ash) will be a match for him.
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Joe inherited AAT from his granddad and Caleb’s father Frank Tate. Because they are blood relatives, it increases the chance of the operation being a success.
However, due to the fact Joe knows Caleb won’t jump at the chance of helping out, he is blackmailing local GP Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) into assisting in his desperate plot.
This article was originally published on January 14, 2025.
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