A MOTHER’S SECRET AND A VILLAGE BETRAYAL: CHARITY’S RETURN TO THE DALES IS NOT THE HOMECOMING ANYONE EXPECTED
Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) makes her return to Emmerdale next week after giving birth to baby Leyla, and she’s thrust straight back into an awkward and potentially life-ruining situation.
Viewers will know that Charity has been acting as a surrogate for granddaughter Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) and her husband Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant).
However, she wasn’t actually carrying their baby at all, but her own – and it wasn’t husband Mack Boyd’s (Lawrence Robb).
Charity fell pregnant with Ross Barton’s (Michael Parr) baby after a brief dalliance last year, and has kept this as much a secret as possible ever since.
Unfortunately, hospital bully Dr Todd (Caroline Harker) overheard a clandestine phone call and worked out baby Leyla’s real parentage, using it to blackmail Charity as part of her malicious plan.
In upcoming scenes, the possibility of Charity’s secret being exposed weighs heavily, even as the paperwork is signed and Jacob and Sarah take their daughter home.
Charity has no reservations about handing over the baby, actress Emma Atkins previously revealed.
‘I feel the sense that she’s just embodied being a vessel, and beyond that, she’s not remotely felt maternal. She’s not maternal at the best of moments with any of her children. She’s got fierce loyalty and love, but she lacks that real maternal feeling.
‘So, 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. So, she’s got that connection anyway. She can’t in any way be maternal anyway because it could ruin a lot of things…’
When it comes time for Charity to return home herself, she is shocked to find that it has been decorated to celebrate her homecoming.
The atmosphere is celebratory, until Ross arrives with Moses.
The tension between Charity and Ross is palpable – unsurprising, given the circumstances.
After she urges him not to get attached to the baby, things only get more awkward when Moses asks Ross to join a family photo.
He makes it clear to his son that he is not part of Leyla’s family, before leaving.
Will Charity be able to let out a sigh of relief, or will the threat of Dr Todd’s blackmail continue to pile on the pressure?
To make the situation even more precarious, Dr Todd starts cosying up to Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) in the Woolpack when they’re put on the same darts team.
Yes, that’s the same Vanessa who told Mack that Charity was carrying her own baby, not Jacob and Sarah’s.
With Todd flirting with Vanessa, albeit without her noticing, and another darts match being scheduled, is Dr Todd playing the long game?
What exactly is her plan?