Kim Tate (Claire King) is rushed to hospital next week in Emmerdale after a confrontation with secret daughter DS Thea Ramsden (Chelsea Edge) turns violent. The showdown, which has been building since Thea arrived in the village seeking revenge on the mother she feels abandoned her at birth, culminates in Kim stabbing Thea with a cheese knife.
Kim's Panic Over Baby Tate's Kidnap
Initially, Kim turns to Thea for help, asking her not to involve the police because Joe Tate (Ned Porteous), the baby's father, doesn't know that his son hasn't been officially adopted and is hiding out in a cottage with Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough). Claire King explains: 'She can't believe it, she doesn't know if it is kidnappers wanting some ransom or whether somebody in the family has taken him. She is in complete panic mode, so she has to ring Graham immediately and find out what's happening. She can't go to Joe, because she and Graham aren't supposed to have the baby in the first place. She's very reluctant to involve the police because obviously Joe would find out.'
Kim confides in Thea, hoping she can trust her, and Thea replies, 'I will, unless it escalates to the point where I have to let my fellow policemen know.' However, Kim soon begins to suspect Thea herself is behind the kidnap.
The Stabbing and Its Aftermath
Claire King describes the scene: 'Thea turns up and at first, Kim doesn't think it's her at all, then Kim suddenly thinks 'oh my Gosh, it's Thea'. So she tries to run and escapes, she hides, but Thea comes through the back door before she can bolt it. As she's running round the tables, she slips and Thea manages to grab hold of her. In a panic, she's thinking 'I am going to get hurt'. She just happens to stumble across a sharp cheese knife, and in her panicked state, she stabs Thea.'
The consequences are immediate: 'The knife has gone in, she's not bleeding out but she does pass out. Kim is in total panic mode, she doesn't know whether she can save her or not, obviously if something happens to her, the worst case scenario, she dies, Kim could end up back in prison.' Thea has been stalking Kim for a long time, so Kim knows she could harm her. 'This is the worst case scenario now because Kim thinks that Thea will actually get her back and put her in prison. It's how Thea is going to respond to this in hospital when she gets treated.'
Kim's Emotional Turmoil
Claire King admits Kim would be 'absolutely beside herself' if she realised she'd stabbed her own daughter. Reflecting on the situation, she adds: 'The whole reason she and Graham agreed to take Baby Tate was because of the fact that she had to give her daughter away all that time ago. It's brought up all these feelings from the past, regrets, and all the rest of it, she just refuses to let Joe do the same.'
On Kim's softer side, King says: 'She's mellowing but mainly because we've been seeing a lot of children about and babies and the horses, those are the things that make her soft. But underneath she's still got a steely hard core and a very ruthless side.'
