Devastated Emmerdale fans are worried that an exit could be looming for Charity Dingle. Charity (Emma Atkins) has been a fixture on the soap since 2000 — and it's safe to say she has established herself as one of the programme's most cherished characters. She's also featured in some major storylines throughout her tenure.
From Charity's numerous relationships to the appearance of her long-lost daughter Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb), her years in the Dales have been packed with drama. Particularly of late, as last week she fell victim to a horrific sexual assault by the despicable Dr Todd (Caroline Harker), who is blackmailing her regarding the real parentage of Leyla Sugden.
In distressing scenes, after Charity became intoxicated, Todd locked the door and went on to sexually assault an unconscious Charity on the sofa. She subsequently awoke in horror, and Todd departed, reports the Daily Star.
Since that moment, Charity has been profoundly struggling, and despite reporting Dr Todd to the authorities, she was released after police questioning as there was insufficient evidence to charge her.
However now, amid the devastating storyline, fans believe Charity could be heading for an exit shortly. On an Emmerdale Facebook fan page, one person commented: "Emma Atkins deserves a break after this storyline, she's knocked it out of the park!"
Another remarked: "I was thinking that, it's what usually happens after a big storyline." A third contributed: "Same here, I don't want her to go, though!" A fourth speculated: "She'll probably go see Debbie in Australia."
Emmerdale Producer Sophie Roper previously spoke about the significance of the storyline: "Charity's storyline will explore the impact of sexual violence, and though this heinous act is fundamentally about power, we'll explore the complexities of how Charity processes her trauma when the perpetrator is a woman.
"With little conversation surrounding female-on-female assault, we'll explore the overwhelming feelings of isolation many survivors experience and will examine the disparity between the legal term sexual assault and the fact that many women in Charity's position feel this minimises what's happened to them because they feel like they've been raped.
"Though difficult viewing at times, Charity's resilience will inspire hope as she confronts what has happened to her."
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.
