Poor Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) isn’t having a lot of luck in Emmerdale. Suffering from a rare condition called Fanconi anaemia, her illness resulted in a diagnosis of early stage cervical cancer, and surgical complications meant she had to have an emergency hysterectomy.
With Sarah unable to conceive, and amid her desire to have a baby with fiancé Jacob Gallagher (Joe Warren Plant), grandmother Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) stepped up to be their surrogate in a heartfelt gesture, or at least it was…until she had a fling with Ross Barton (Michael Parr).
For months Charity has maintained this lie to protect herself and her family, but that baby-bombshell has to drop sooner or later. But there’s a time and a place for dramatic reveals…and that’s definitely not your secret wedding disguised as a fake gender reveal party. Actress Katie Hill spills the tea.
‘Well (Sarah and Jacob) are trying to make sure all the important people to them are available. However, they are having some difficulty with doing this, as no one is prioritising them right now.
‘They have set it up as a baby gender reveal party even though it’s actually their wedding.’
This was Jacob’s bright idea. It was a clever way of avoiding the chaos and drama of a Dingle wedding; get the people they love, get them on a bus to the venue, get married. In, out, no fuss.
However, the young couple’s plan backfired when neither Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) or Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton) turned up, opting to get married themselves in secret… only to run into a shocked Sarah and Jacob at the registry office!
‘This was the last thing they expected to see just before they were about to get married.’ Sarah admits. ‘It completely ruined their day as their special moment was now taken away. It was fun filming it though and I hope the audience like watching this shock.’
But never fear. Charity is here to save they day by giving her granddaughter the perfect wedding. ‘She honestly can’t believe it. It’s a dream come true for Sarah. She is finally getting her winter wedding she’s always wanted just as she thought it was never going to happen.
‘It’s the best thing ever for her. We have these lovely scenes where they walk into the pub together all dressed up. It is a total surprise for them. The Woolpack has all been decorated. It was like a dream come true.’
This heartfelt act of love will only make Charity’s betrayal all the worse. Up until now, Sarah doesn’t suspect a thing. ‘All the slight worries and concerns she may have about her Gran seeming off, she puts it down to the fact Gran is just stressed about wanting to make sure everything goes smoothly.’
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But underneath, Charity’s close to breaking point. All those months of lying to her husband Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) and keeping Ross from finding out the truth have taken their toll.
She’s already folded under pressure and confessed her doubts over the baby’s parentage to her old flame Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick). Now it’s just a matter of time before Vanessa spills everything to Sarah. There will be severe consequences, and Katie is here for it. ‘I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next,’ she enthuses.
‘It’s been such a great storyline to play so far and it’s definitely a unique storyline that I think I can say has never been done before! All of us involved talk about how much we can’t wait to see where this all goes.’
Will Sarah ever get this baby? Katie Hill’s not giving up hope. ‘I hope she gets a happy ending after everything she’s been through. For it to all fall apart would be so sad for her, however it’s a very complicated situation and we don’t know how Sarah would feel about the baby if she finds out the truth.’
