I’m genuinely not exaggerating when I say that one of my biggest highlights of 2025 was Robert Sugden’s return to Emmerdale. Like so many fans, I had been walking around with a Robron-shaped hole in my heart ever since Robert was sent to prison back in 2019. His exit felt less like a goodbye and more like proof that happy endings are rarely permanent in soaps. And while I desperately want Robert and Aaron to be the exception, I’m just not sure that will be the case.

I don’t think the Emmerdale producers had any idea what they were unleashing when Robert rocked up in the village in 2014 and began an affair with Aaron Dingle. They were two characters no one would have ever imagined together, yet from the very first moment, it just worked. The next three years featured some of the best of Robron. It was messy, dramatic, and delivered everything soap fans live for like explosive break-ups, inevitable reunions, ill-timed proposals and eventually, a wedding.

Then came the Rebecca White saga, but once she was finally out of the way, Robron was officially back on track by February 2018. A year of pure bliss followed, with Aaron hoping to adopt Seb and the couple planning to adopt a child of their own.

But just a moment of pure rage from Robert and he gets sentenced to 14 years in prison, ripping that future away in an instant. Rewatching old Robron scenes became a comfort blanket for me, but I couldn’t bring myself to anything from 2019 because I knew what was coming.

Watching Aaron try to rebuild his life without Robert was genuinely heartbreaking. Big shoutout to Danny Miller, but his incredible performance just proved one thing: neither character works without the other.

But I knew it wouldn’t be long for the couple to reunite once Robert had returned. As Aaron told John, Robert is the love of his life. I reckon we have about a year of smooth sailing before something else goes wrong.

I can cope with Aaron and Robert being in the same village and not being together, because it’s always been clear they’ll find their way back to each other no matter what. What I can’t cope with is one existing without the other.

But what if Ryan Hawley wants to leave again or Danny decides his time is up? I think most fans would agree when I say there should be a pact. One simply cannot leave without the other. In an ideal world, they’d walk away from the village hand in hand, taking Seb with them, and finally get the happy ending they’ve earned.

But soaps have a habit of ripping viewers’ hearts out. So here’s my next best option. Emmerdale must kill them off together. This is not what I want. But imagine if only one of them left or was killed off. Could you imagine watching either of them grieve? I for one could not.

But Ryan and Danny won’t be on the show forever and when the time comes, Robert and Aaron will have to be written out. Unless they’re allowed to ride off into the sunset, them dying together, however tragic it may be, is the only way I’d ever be at peace with it.