Emmerdale actress Emma Atkins, known for playing the iconic Charity Dingle, has revealed that her real life is vastly different from her on-screen persona. The 48-year-old star, who first joined the ITV soap in 2000, admitted on Loose Women this week that while Charity has been married eight times, she has never tied the knot herself.
Atkins, who landed the role while still in her final year of a performing arts degree at Salford University, said she found it 'quite bizarre' to suddenly play a sex worker. 'I just thought: How can I play a Dingle? If you know me you would understand that as I am so far removed from my character,' she explained in 2001.
Off-screen, Atkins has been in a long-term relationship with her partner, Tom, and the couple welcomed a son named Albert just before her 40th birthday. She described herself as 'really nice' compared to her character, adding: 'I struggle to ever defend the character whenever I do interviews.'
The actress also recalled the audition process, which included a screen test with Marlon Dingle actor Mark Charnock. She faced a two-week wait before learning she had been cast, beating actress Suranne Jones, who later played Karen McDonald on Coronation Street.
Despite the differences, Atkins has always defended Charity, saying: 'She's a brilliant character to play, she's a character of substance. She's a b****, yes, but you can tell that there are different sides to her.'
