Emmerdale reveals shock collapse for struggling Gabby Thomas

Emmerdale's Gabby Thomas collapses at work next week, as her health crisis pushes her to breaking point.

As she's rushed to hospital, will this shock to the system finally encourage her to open up to Laurel and get the help she needs?

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"Gabby's collapse is a wake-up call," explains our Emmerdale insider. "She was battling on, pretending nothing was wrong and dismissing Manpreet's advice. But now she's hit a wall and can't do this alone anymore."

Gabby's still in denial about her eating habits as the week begins, but Manpreet has serious concerns after their previous conversations, and is determined to help her.

She shares her concerns with Dr Liam, suggesting that Gabby might have orthorexia, but Manpreet knows support would be more effective from someone close to the young mum…

Manpreet chats to Laurel, alerting her to Gabby's recent social media posts, hinting that there might be more to worry about under the surface. But when Laurel tries to hunt Gabby down, she can't find her.

"Gabby's having a full-blown panic attack," explains our source. "She hides behind the counter, unable to face her customers. And that's bad news for a business that's already going down the pan – unless your name is Robert Sugden!"

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Overhearing a conversation about The Hide's terrible financial situation, Robert is privately pleased at the thought of being able to swoop in and buy it for a cut price. But as Gabby continues to hide behind the counter, Laurel rushes in and tries to figure out what's wrong.

Just as Laurel questions the circumstances of her panic attack, Gabby collapses, leaving horrified Laurel to call an ambulance.

A little while later, tearful Gabby wakes up in hospital and gives Manpreet permission to share her orthorexia diagnosis with Laurel. Reaching a stage of acceptance, Gabby's emotional as she realises that she needs Laurel and Manpreet's support if she's ever going to overcome this.

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"This is a huge step for Gabby's recovery," notes our insider. "She desperately needs that empathy and understanding. She's also going to need them to keep a close eye on her, without judgement."

Someone else who regrets not seeing the signs of Gabby's illness is Billy Fletcher, who apologises when he learns what she's been going through.

But Laurel soon finds there's a greater problem when she realises Dotty has been consuming some of Gabby's social media content. Has the youngster started to believe in the worrying conspiracy theories Gabby shared? And how will Gabby cope with her health if her business is about to go under?

Read more of next week's Emmerdale spoilers:

- Emmerdale confirms Jimmy funeral week twist as Nicola makes a discovery

- Emmerdale confirms major Charity news after Sarah makes shock move

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

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