Emmerdale Icon Confirms “Unbearable” Outcome for Charity as Baby Bombshell Looms
Charity Dingle’s latest secret is set to rock Emmerdale to its core — and actress Emma Atkins has confirmed that the truth could leave her character utterly devastated.
A Pregnancy Shrouded in Doubt
Charity’s dilemma is one of the soap’s darkest yet. She is pregnant, but the father is a mystery. Is the baby the result of her role as a surrogate for granddaughter Sarah Sugden’s IVF journey, or does it belong to Ross Barton after their drunken one-night stand?
“If it’s Ross’s child, she is in so much trouble,” Atkins admitted. “She’s hoping with every inch of her life that it’s Sarah’s, but I think she’s got this gut feeling that this baby belongs to Ross.”
Secrets That Could Shatter a Family
The fallout, Atkins explained, could be catastrophic. If Mackenzie Boyd discovers the truth after everything he’s endured — including being kidnapped by John — it would be unbearable. And if Sarah learned her grandmother had betrayed her in such a way, it could destroy their bond forever.
“The idea of anybody finding this out could be the end of relationships with her granddaughter, her husband, and her family,” Atkins said. “The jeopardy that she’s in is palpable.”
Faced with impossible choices, Charity decides to bury the truth. “She wants to gift Sarah with this child that she’s promised her, and she can’t bear the thought of all of this falling apart, so to keep everything together, she decides to tell the biggest lie of her life,” Atkins revealed.
Turning to Chas — and a Shocking Choice
Unable to cope alone, Charity eventually confides in cousin Chas. But instead of support, she receives a moral ultimatum.
“Chas takes the higher moral ground and says, ‘Under no circumstances can you not consider telling everyone. You have to come clean,’” Atkins explained.
Horrified, Charity considers a desperate way out: a termination. “She feels it’s the only way out, to maybe just try and make it go away and bury it once and for all,” Atkins admitted. “It’s an unbearable, unforgivable act, but she feels it’s her only option.”
Guilt That Can’t Stay Hidden
Even as she wrestles with her decision, Sarah unknowingly deepens Charity’s guilt. She presents a memory box filled with scan photos and letters for the baby, urging Charity to add her own.
“The idea of all of it is just so much shame and guilt and panic rolled into one,” Atkins said. “The audience will see that level of horror in Charity’s eyes, but she can’t show it to Sarah.”
Secrets Always Surface
For now, Charity is determined to maintain her calm façade — but Atkins confirmed that the truth is destined to explode.
“It will simmer for a while,” she teased, “and then, obviously, we know that secrets and lies do have a way of coming out, one way or another.”