Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale’s Charity Dingle is feeling “angry” and “defiant” as the mystery of Mackenzie Boyd’s disappearance continues.
Viewers know that Mack has been held hostage by John Sugden – though his fate is currently uncertain following last night’s episode in which his tormentor recaptured him.
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Before his vanishing, Mack fell out with Charity over her decision to be a surrogate for granddaughter Sarah, and despite him disappearing, she’s still feeling resentful.
“Charity’s so angry, she’s very defiant,” Charity actor Emma Atkins said. “She’s not stopped to really wonder why he’s gone missing; she just feels, ‘Right, crack on. This could be the end of our marriage, because I’m fully in support of Sarah, and if Mack can’t get on board, then it’s over.’
“So, in her head, she’s resilient to the fact that she’s chosen to do this and she’s fine with that. And I think the walls are going to come closing in soon enough….”
ITV
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Charity is also feeling the “intensity” of Sarah and Jacob’s close involvement in the pregnancy, which is “exacerbating what’s already there in Charity’s inner turmoil” – namely the possibility that the baby may be Ross Barton’s child following Charity’s one night stand with him.
“It’s just making her snap, and then she feels really guilty,” Emma added. “So, as an actor, being able to play guilt and remorse and panic and betrayal and lying and scheming and bare faced lies; it’s just a thrill to play. “
Addressing possible regret about being Sarah’s surrogate, the star explained: “I think she just feels at this point that, ‘Why does it matter who the real biological mother and father is?’
ITV
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“Because at the end of the day, she’s thinking, ‘Sarah just needs a baby,’ because that chance has been taken away from her with her hysterectomy. So, at this point, she’s like, ‘Why can’t I cover this lie up? Why does Sarah need to know that it’s not her baby?’
“She’s trying to convince herself at every avenue she goes down, ‘Okay, this is going to be okay,’ because the end of the day, Sarah just wants a baby to love in her arms. It doesn’t matter where this baby’s come from.’ She’s convincing herself at every turn that it’s going to be okay.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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