Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale star Jeff Hordley has confirmed big “twists and turns” for Cain Dingle and Charity’s standalone two-hander episode. The upcoming special will focus on the pair as Cain sets down a path of destruction in the wake of his latest hospital appointment.
Amid Cain’s fears of what his life will look like after surgery amid his prostate cancer storyline, Jeff said that the soap is keen to highlight the side effects.
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“People can be temporarily incontinent or have erectile dysfunction, or it can also be long-term,” the star explained. “And you know, when you think about that in terms of a person’s identity and their life, then suddenly things massively change, and the ramifications are huge for an individual.
“So that’s kind of where he’s at, worried that things may not be the same with Moira any more. What if they have to kind of cut so much out of the cancer that things will change for him in the future. So yeah, it’s a huge worry for him. It’s part of his identity, and that’s what his concerns are.”
Next week’s emotional two-hander episode will see Charity attempt to get Cain to open up amid his fragile mental state, and after breaking Zak’s ale tankard in a rage, he breaks down before attempting to kiss Charity.
Jeff praised director Ian Bevitt for the scenes, alongside co-star Emma Atkins, noting the two stars have “such a long-standing history” as they joined at the same time 26 years ago, and their characters have had a “similar journey” to real-life.
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Recalling running through the scene together a day before filming began, he admitted it was “a lot of fun to do”.
“They’ve written this episode with those two characters and their history in mind,” he added, before teasing: “There’s a lot of twists and turns in the episode, but ultimately Charity’s there for Cain and he’s there for her as well.”
Jeff also called it “beautifully written” and “a really lovely episode”, before beaming about some of his female co-stars on Emmerdale.
“I always say this, but I’m really lucky and feel very grateful that throughout my time on this show, I’ve always been surrounded by really strong female actresses, you know, from Emma Atkins to Natalie J Robb to Lucy Pargeter to Charley Webb, and now Katie Hill. I’ve always got these strong females around me who make it a breeze.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
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If you would like more information or support about living with cancer or treatment, please click here for guidance from Macmillan Cancer Support, or click here to learn more from Stand Up to Cancer.