Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale star Emma Atkins has confirmed what the future holds for Charity Dingle amid the dramatic pregnancy storyline, which will intensify during next week’s scenes as she goes into labour.
Over the past few months, Charity has been involved in a complicated arc, which initially saw her agree to be a surrogate for Sarah and Jacob Sugden. There was a twist, however, as she slept with Ross Barton.
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Her husband, Mackenzie Boyd, remains unaware about her infidelity, and incorrectly assumes that the baby is his. Ross, however, knows the full truth but has decided to keep quiet at Charity’s request.
This will come together next week, as Charity goes into labour. In true soap fashion, there’s far more to it than that, as both Mackenzie and Ross are present for the birth. Naturally, this is an unwanted situation for Charity.
Things worsen when Charity starts to haemorrhage blood during the birth, with Atkins teasing: “Sarah turns up, realises and delivers the most beautiful speech when Charity feels like she can’t push any longer.
“It’s a little monologue that Katie [Hill] delivered so beautifully. It’s really lovely. But then Charity starts to haemorrhage, which is horrendous. The odds are stacked against her in terms of giving birth in that situation.
“All sorts of complications have come into it, so it’s touch and go, and everyone’s fraught with emotion. It was like being in an episode of Casualty, with doctors running around and lots of medical vocabulary.”
While Charity has immediate concerns with her health, the beloved character faces the increasing prospect that hers and Ross’ secret will come out. Understandably, such a bombshell could be devastating for the family.
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“She is going to be living on broken glass,” explained Atkins. “Somebody – especially Ross – could say the wrong thing, so she’s got to keep people on side. It’s constantly keeping her head above the parapet.
“She’s been embroiled in all sorts of trouble and tribulations. She’s a soldier and a warrior with that. But, at the same time, I think she understands the gravity of that truth coming out – the trust will be utterly fractured forever.”
Even with all that, and with Charity being on the mend, there will come a time when she has to hand the baby over to Sarah and Jacob. Despite the dramatic circumstances, Atkins doesn’t think that her character will have any hesitation in giving them the baby.
“She’s just embodied being a vessel – beyond that, she’s not felt remotely maternal,” said the actor. “She’s not maternal at the best of times with any of her children. She’s got fierce loyalty and love, though.
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“I think it will be okay for her to hand the baby over, especially because she’s part of the family. It’s not like she’s going miles away – she’s got that connection anyway. She can’t in any way be maternal, because it could ruin a lot of things.”
This would also rule out any remote possibility that Charity would raise the child with Ross, with Atkins believing that the “love/hate” nature of their relationship means that any co-parenting situation would be a non-starter, especially with her duty to her family.
Though it’s been a taxing time for the barmaid, Atkins said she has very much enjoyed being at the centre of a dramatic storyline, noting: “The good thing about these sorts of storylines is that it shows real vulnerability for these characters.
“It’s showing real graft and hardship within people. You can’t just show the Dingles always winning. You’ve got to show vulnerability, because I think people can connect when they see weakness in people.”
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While it remains to be seen how Charity’s future will pan out, Atkins revealed that she had spoken to producer Sophie Roper about the character’s progression, teasing that it could be a busy time for her on the ITV soap.
“I have such a complex year coming up. I’m so excited,” she said.
“It is currently my favourite storyline because it’s pushed me in every way as an actor, to really connect and commit to everything that she feels and thinks, and it’s not without its madness!”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – as Carla and Lisa get married and Charity goes into labour.