Emmerdale star Amelia Flanagan has confirmed a much brighter future for her character April Windsor following the harrowing county lines and exploitation storyline that dominated recent episodes.
April endured a period living on the streets, during which she met Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle) and suffered a stillbirth. After returning to the village and into the care of her father Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock), the trauma she experienced had clearly changed her. Dylan later followed April to the village, bringing with him Ray Walters (Joe Absolom), who was grooming homeless youngsters into selling drugs. April was soon ensnared in the operation through a fake mugging, and as the situation became more desperate, she found herself under the control of Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths), the ruthless figure behind the criminal enterprise.
Actress reflects on dark storyline
Speaking exclusively to Metro at the Inside Soap awards, Amelia said of being at the centre of the storyline: 'I found it really exciting – amazing to be so involved in such an important storyline. I really have loved every second of it.'
She also spoke about the grim topics the story addressed: 'I think it was so heartbreaking when I did some researching into county lines and how common it is and how easy it is to be missed by the public.'
Amelia highlighted a line from a special episode with Dawn that stood out to her: 'It can happen to anyone around you and you'd have no idea' – and it was happening to April right then.
April's positive new chapter
Since escaping the terrifying underworld, Amelia is enjoying playing lighter plots: 'It's nice to see her in a more positive space – she's finished her GCSEs and now she's doing her A-Levels. After all the horribleness that went on, she can improve and live her life and go on to do amazing things.'
When asked what she hopes for April's future, Amelia said: 'I just hope that she continues to look into the positives of the future. She's been doing really well, focusing on her education, trying to get somewhere in life and I think we will see much more positivity in the future which I am really excited for.'
