Mandy Dingle-Kirk (also Dingle) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Lisa Riley.
Mandy comes to Emmerdale for her cousin Tina Dingle's (Jacqueline Pirie) wedding to Luke McAllister (Noah Huntley).
She later returns to live with her uncle Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell), having been disowned by her father, Caleb (Mike Kelly).
Butch had always been in love with Mandy and readily accepts his cousin's proposal, marrying her in a secret registry office ceremony.
Butch is livid when he discovers the truth and the Dingle family disowns Mandy for her infidelity, although her uncle Zak and his wife Lisa Dingle (Jane Cox) eventually come round after Paddy delivers their unexpected daughter, Belle (James and Emily Mather).
With their marriage over, Mandy then departs the village to live with her best friend, Kelly Windsor (Adele Silva), in London.
She returns briefly the following year in order to win Paddy back after realising the mistake she had made but seeing that he is happy and settled with post office worker Emily Dingle (Kate McGregor), Butch's widow, Mandy leaves the village again.
17 years later, Mandy returns to the village for the wedding of her cousin, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) and Jessie Grant (Sandra Marvin) despite not being invited.
Mandy is later caught scamming a casino with Vinny, and after she is made to promise to stop causing trouble, the Dingles allow her to stay.
Riley made her first appearance as Mandy in 1995, for her on-screen cousin Tina Dingle's wedding to Luke McAllister.
The character proved to be popular with viewers, so producers invited Riley to return as a full-time cast member the following year.
She admitted that her character "could make you cry", and can come across as a manipulator, but refused the label, stating: "she's got such a big heart – she's a survivor, she'll do anything for her family, and if it means telling a few porky pies along the way, which she does, she'll do it because she wants to survive, and more often than not she has done."
[5] She arrives unexpectedly for her cousin Marlon Dingle's (Mark Charnock) wedding to Jessie Grant (Sandra Marvin).
[6] The actress also explained where Mandy has been, saying "She's been living in Southampton for the past 17 years with her son – who's called Vinny (Bradley Johnson) – and she's been very happy.
[11] In scenes aired in 2020, Mandy opens up to both Paul and Vinny about a miscarriage she suffered in the past, and her subsequent infertility.
Riley expressed her elation at being able to cover the story, since she has dealt with IVF not working in her personal life, and how it causes people to "treat you differently".
Riley confirmed that the story would have "darkness", and would question viewers as to how they could deal with the situation, since it throws such an "unbelievable curveball" at Mandy.
Riley explains that this is to reflect real-life situations, as the production team did heavy amounts of research for the storyline.
[19][20] In 1996, Sarah Hey of the Daily Mirror wrote: "She is a brazen man-eater who could polish off a bloke for breakfast and be ready for another by tea-time.
You can rest assured that Emmerdale's Mandy Dingle – the bawdy brunette with the fuller figure and gravelly laugh – would be chasing an army of Valentines today.