When Paddy Kirk first came to work as a locum for Zoe Tate at the vet surgery, he saw his time in Emmerdale as temporary. He was drawn to Mandy Dingle and they were smitten from first sight, but problems got in the way, including his mother.
When she discovered her son was in love with a girl she felt was tarty, she was absolutely horrified. She offered Mandy money to marry someone else which she did, marrying her cousin, Butch Dingle.
Paddy felt lonely and depressed. The following year, he took Bernice Blackstock to the Vet's Ball in an attempt to take his mind off Mandy but failed. He proposed marriage to Mandy that night, and Mandy agreed. They married the following year but over the next two years, Mandy was away a lot. She was helping to look after her father and missing Paddy but being so far, began an affair with her father's carer, Neil.