Emmerdale star breaks silence on Charity betrayal and warns ‘there’s no going back’

Emmerdale’s Emma Atkins has opened up about her character Charity Dingle’s new storyline

Emmerdale’s Emma Atkins has teased her character Charity Dingle’s new storyline.

Soap watchers will recall that only recently, Charity, played by Emma Atkins, has been trying to get pregnant all in order to carry a child for her granddaughter Sarah Sugden, who is desperate to become a mother following her emergency hysterectomy.

Following an embryo transfer, Charity found herself pregnant much to the anger of her husband Mack Boyd, who wanted to have their own child together.

However, after falling over in the woods and later finding out she was bleeding, Charity was convinced the embryo transfer had failed.

In response, Sarah’s grandad Cain Dingle offered to pay for another attempt. During a follow-up appointment, Charity was left gobsmacked to learn that she is pregnant.

In true soap style, a series of flashbacks revealed that Charity had secretly slept with former flame Ross Barton (Mike Parr) after a drunken row with Mack.

Soap watchers now think that Charity is pregnant with Ross’ baby and isn’t actually carrying Sarah’s child at all.

In upcoming scenes, Charity, who thinks Mack has walked out on their marriage without realising he’s actually being held hostage by John Sugden, is surprised with an early ultrasound.

Unseen by Jacob and Sarah, there is a dark fear in Charity’s eyes as she looks at the screen and worries that the child may not actually be their baby.

Later, when Ross arrives with Moses, an oblivious Sarah shows Ross the scan photo to which he tries his hardest not to show how panicked he is to be looking at what might be his own child.

Talking about the upcoming scenes, Charity star Emma said of her character: “I think she just feels at this point that, ‘Why does it matter who the real biological mother and father is?’

“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.”

Talking about if Sarah could forgive Charity if she found out the truth, Emma teased: “No. I think it’s such an ultimate betrayal to take it this far and lie. And obviously, Charity is digging a hole that is so big now that that there’s no going back, and she’s determined to just keep the lie up; keep it up and assume that she’s none-the-wiser and that it is in fact Sarah’s baby.

“She’s decided to jump in at the deep end and keep putting on the brave face. She can’t bear the idea of Sarah ever, ever finding out.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm.