Emmerdale to air Charity Dingle sexual assault storyline

A harrowing new storyline on the long-running ITV soap Emmerdale will see the character Charity Dingle sexually assaulted by her blackmailer, Dr. Caitlin Todd. The scenes are scheduled to begin airing on Sunday, June 7, and will explore the devastating impact of sexual violence, particularly within the context of an assault perpetrated by one woman against another.

In the aftermath of the attack, Charity, portrayed by actress Emma Atkins, will struggle to process her trauma, facing the difficult choice of whether to confide in her family or internalize her pain. The storyline is set to examine the complex feelings of isolation survivors can experience, especially when the assault does not fit common societal narratives.

The assault is the culmination of an escalating blackmail plot. Dr. Todd discovered that Charity, who acted as a surrogate for her granddaughter Sarah Sugden and Sarah’s husband Jacob Gallagher, is the biological mother of baby Leyla, the result of a brief affair with villager Ross Barton. Todd, who has been tormenting Jacob at the hospital, used this secret to extort money from Charity, initially demanding £10,000 before increasing the sum to £100,000.