Emmerdale’s Emma Atkins on Charity’s “Unbearable” Baby Dilemma
Charity Dingle is heading into one of her darkest storylines yet in Emmerdale — a pregnancy that could destroy everything she holds dear. Actress Emma Atkins has opened up about the emotional weight of the plot, describing the possible outcome as “unbearable.”
Charity’s Devastating Secret
Charity is currently pregnant, but she faces a tormenting truth she cannot escape: she doesn’t know if the baby is the result of her role as a surrogate for her granddaughter Sarah (Katie Hill), or if it is her own child with Ross Barton (Michael Parr) after their drunken one-night stand.
“If it’s Ross’s child, she is in so much trouble,” Atkins explained. “She’s hoping with every inch of her life that it’s Sarah’s, but she’s got this gut feeling that this baby belongs to Ross.”
The stakes could not be higher. If the baby is Ross’s, the fallout would devastate her marriage to Mack (Lawrence Robb), shatter Sarah’s trust, and potentially fracture the entire Dingle family.
The Weight of Betrayal
Emma Atkins revealed how Charity feels crushed under the consequences of her mistake.
“The idea of anybody finding this out could be the end of relationships with her granddaughter, her husband, and her family,” she said. “She’s devastated. She just can’t bear to throw more pain Mack’s way, not after everything he’s been through with the kidnapping and John.”
Sarah’s betrayal would be even worse: “How could she ever forgive Charity for this? You’d lose your granddaughter and your husband together — it’s unbearable.”
Secrets, Lies, and Desperation
Faced with an impossible choice, Charity resolves to keep the truth hidden. But the pressure becomes too much, and she confides in cousin Chas (Lucy Pargeter).
Chas refuses to enable the lie, telling her: “You cannot take this lie into the baby being born, and present Sarah with a child that’s not even hers.”
Charity, horrified, begins to consider a desperate and heartbreaking alternative — terminating the pregnancy to bury the truth forever.
“She feels it’s the only way out,” Atkins revealed. “To just try and make it go away. It’s an immoral, unforgivable act, but she feels it’s her only option.”
Guilt That Can’t Be Hidden
When Charity returns from her appointment, Sarah presents her with a baby keepsake box filled with scan pictures and letters — a reminder of what’s at stake. Overwhelmed with guilt and shame, Charity is left masking her torment, showing calmness on the outside while panic and horror consume her inside.
“The audience will see that level of horror in her eyes,” Atkins explained. “But she can’t show it to Sarah.”
Secrets Will Always Out
As with all things in the Dales, the truth is destined to come out. Atkins confirmed that this web of lies won’t stay hidden forever:
“It will simmer for a while, and then, obviously, we know that secrets and lies do have a way of coming out, one way or another. There’s so much riding on this.”