Exclusive: Emmerdale reveals aftermath of Charity Dingle's prison release
Emmerdale star Emma Atkins has revealed that her character Charity Dingle will forgive her granddaughter Sarah Sugden for landing her in huge trouble with the law.
Charity is currently being held on remand after Sarah lied to the police, accusing her of deliberately killing Dr Todd in a furious showdown. Viewers know that it was Sarah who pushed Todd over, causing a fatal head injury.
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Sarah unleashed the ultimate revenge against Charity after discovering her lies about baby Leyla's parentage. She soon regretted her actions, but the authorities ruled that it was too late for her to withdraw her statement.
Next week's episodes see Sarah up the ante as she comes up with a drastic plan to secure Charity's freedom. Before long, Charity is told that she's going home and reunites with her family in the village.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy at the Inside Soap Awards 2026, Emma confirmed that Charity won't hold a grudge against Sarah for causing her prison ordeal.
"I think that's a no-brainer – she's already forgiven her," Emma told us. "Because she's like: 'It's my penance, it's my duty really to take one for the team'.
"She kept these awful secrets under her nose for a long, long time. I think she was expecting some form of retribution – and she's taking it on the chin!"
While Charity is ready to forgive, fans will have to tune in to see whether Sarah feels the same way as they come face-to-face in the back room of The Woolpack next week.
Emmerdale aired one of Charity's darkest storylines this year as she was sexually assaulted by Dr Todd. Fans praised Emma's powerful work on the scenes, which raised awareness of female-on-female sexual assault.
Reflecting on the story, Emma told us: "Charity can never be the same again – it's the second situation of abuse that she's suffered and there's a lot of damage there already.
"But I know it sounds silly saying 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' but I think that's the absolute epitome of her strength. When you build upon trauma, rather than let it take you back, she's determined to get on.
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"She's undergone a lot of intense, dark periods of her life with being put in prison and feeling very isolated. Obviously she then had the strip-search in prison.
"But it's healing now – it's a healing time, so it means as Emma I maybe get to spend more time with my family a bit. I'm not as busy! But she's healing and that's also a beautiful journey to go on."
Read 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 reveals ending of Charity's prison plot in 15 spoiler pictures
- Emmerdale reveals shock collapse for struggling Gabby Thomas
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
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