Emmerdale star Emma Atkins has opened up about the close bond she shared with Caroline Harker, who played the sinister Dr Caitlin Todd. Despite the dark storyline, Atkins described working with Harker as a "privilege" and revealed the cast has been "grieving" since her co-star's exit.
A traumatic storyline for Charity Dingle
It has been a turbulent and traumatic few months for Charity Dingle, with the drama beginning when Dr Todd found out that Leyla was not the biological daughter of Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) and Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Waren Plant). After witnessing a heated exchange between Charity and Ross Barton (Mike Parr), Todd checked Leyla's medical records and realised her blood type did not match Jacob's, meaning he could not be her biological father.
Dr Todd initially blackmailed Charity into persuading Jacob to withdraw an official complaint against her at the hospital in exchange for keeping the revelation secret. However, she soon took things a step further, demanding £10,000 in cash before later increasing it to £100,000.
Assault and tragic climax
Things took a darker turn when Todd sexually assaulted Charity, leaving her traumatised. The storyline reached a dramatic climax when Sarah uncovered what Todd had done to her grandmother and accidentally killed her. Charity then covered for Sarah by confessing to Todd's murder. However, after learning that Leyla had actually been conceived during a one-night stand between Charity and Ross, Sarah retracted her statement that Todd's death had been an accident. As a result, Charity was charged with murder and left facing the consequences of a crime she did not commit.
Behind-the-scenes bond
Despite the intensely dark storyline, Emma, 51, and Caroline, 60, formed a close bond behind the scenes. "I have this love for Caroline Harker playing Todd, who played Todd," Emma told the Daily Express at the Inside Soap Awards. "I miss her and I kind of wish she didn't have to go down the avenue because I'm like, where have you gone? We love you."
She continued: "The whole building fell in love with her on a massive scale. So we're all grieving that she's not here. What she brought to that character was off the scale, genuinely phenomenal." Describing Caroline as "such a team player", Emma said it was a "privilege" to work alongside her, praising the trust they developed throughout the storyline.
"And she had my back and I had hers. I think it's a storyline I'll always look back on. It's difficult and challenging, but she was a one-off," Emma added. She also explained that, given the intensity of the storyline, she and Caroline had to find moments of light-hearted relief whenever the cameras stopped rolling.
