Emmerdale‘s Aaron Dingle and John Sugden take a major step forward in their relationship next week.

The couple are open about their feelings for each other as they take a camping trip together.

Aaron and John started hooking up when John joined the village in the summer.

Their relationship has always appeared casual, especially with Aaron initially struggling to break through John’s outwardly stern demeanour.

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Next week, John surprises Aaron by springing the camping trip idea on him.

Aaron isn’t too impressed by the thought of roughing it in the countryside during a cold December, but he reluctantly agrees to go along to keep John happy.

As they begin to settle into their cosy time alone, John opens up to Aaron in a touching heart-to-heart.

Aaron is pleased when they finally manage to deepen their emotional connection, which leads to them declaring their love for each other for the first time.

Related: Emmerdale‘s Will Taylor to suffer setback in dark Christmas plot

With Christmas on the way, are the couple now in for a romantic time over the holiday season? And is Aaron finally ready to move on from the many heartbreaks that he has faced in the past?

Oliver Farnworth was cast as John earlier this year following his previous soap stint as Andy Carver on Coronation Street between 2014 and 2017.

Speaking earlier this year about John’s past, Oliver told us: “I think he’s enigmatic, really. There’s a lot to him, and there was a lot of stuff in the initial character breakdown that was hinted at but wasn’t necessarily revealed.

“Obviously, they don’t like to give too much away too quickly. I’m still finding stuff out about him. He is very much a lone wolf. I think over the years, he’s really put walls up and not let anyone in.