Emmerdale’s Chas Dingle will finally be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after becoming so terrified that she accidentally stabs her friend Diane.
Chas (Lucy Pargeter) has been struggling since she witnessed Robert Sugden being shot in the village at the end of September. She has since become convinced that she is being stalked after noticing strange changes in her home – unaware that she has been committing the acts herself while sleepwalking.
Lucy told Digital Spy: “It’s a big relief for Chas to finally have a diagnosis and a reason why everything has been happening. Now she can receive help and hopefully get better.”
The pub landlady will finally get a diagnosis after events come to a head, with Chas becoming so terrified at her pub, The Woolpack, that she accidentally stabs her friend Diane Sugden (Elizabeth Estensen) – thinking she’s an intruder.
The ITV soap has been working on the storyline in conjunction with mental health charity Mind.
It won’t be a smooth recovery, with Chas facing doubt and prejudice from the other Emmerdale villagers.
Stabbing victim Diane is suspicious that it could be part of a scam by the Dingles, while Doug Potts (Duncan Preston) reveals his doubts about the diagnosis. This lack of understanding leads to a furious argument with Chas’s son, Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller).
Lucy explained: “Like many people, they think it’s only soldiers who might get PTSD. But it can happen to anybody.
“It’s triggered by a traumatic event like, for instance, an illness or the witnessing of a car crash. And it doesn’t have to happen straight away. But let’s face it, a lot of bad things have happened to Chas!”
Chas has been through a false accusation of murder, a hostage-taking and trouble for her son Aaron – who was accused of shooting Robert Sugden.
But this is run-of-the-mill in Emmerdale, which has this year faced a helicopter crash disaster, a major car accident and a shooting.
“I’m extremely surprised that the whole village hasn’t been diagnosed with it [PTSD] at some point,” Lucy said.
“But that’s what I mean about finally showing the audience that you can’t go through all this stuff without it having some consequence. We have so many things happening in this village and now we’re finally doing something about it.”
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