Just when April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) thought this Christmas couldn’t get any worse in Emmerdale…
It’s been the year from hell for the troubled teen, who ran away from home due to shocking revelations about her mother’s death and a strained relationship with her dad Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) following his stroke.
Living rough on the streets of Leeds began a nightmare ordeal for the vulnerable youngster, who had discovered she was pregnant, but couldn’t go home and face her family – a decision which resulted in a tragic miscarriage.
The only positive to come out of her harrowing ordeal was meeting Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle), a homeless teenage boy she met while sleeping rough and began a relationship with.
But even after April eventually returned home to Emmerdale and reunited with her family, she was with deep emotional scars from her traumatic experience… which left her easy pickings for drug dealers like Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray Walters (Ray Absolom).
Running a sickening modern slavery trade from Butler’s Farm, the mother and son criminal duo groomed April and Dylan into drug trafficking and prostitution to clear her debts. This led to a shocking incident where April was forced to defended herself against a potential ‘client’ trying to sexually assault her by hitting him with a bottle.
Celia and Ray made April believe the man had died and covered it up, increasing her debt and their control over her. She had to become furtive and secretive, falling behind at school and lying to Marlon and Rhona about where she was all the time. Even when she finally told her parents everything, April was still trapped.
Cold-hearted and ruthless, Celia put a lot of time and effort into grooming April and isn’t about to let her go without a fight. So she and Ray made Marlon and Rhona a twisted deal – they want two thousand pounds a week from them to leave April alone. Horrified, Marlon and Rhona had no choice but to agree.
But this is an unsustainable situation, and in tonight’s episode, April’s about to realise the full extent of Celia’s dark plans for her future.
Meeting Celia in the café, April admits defeat and promises to sell drugs for her and Ray again if she leaves Marlon and Rhona alone. But Celia firmly insists that April doesn’t call the shots. And April is horrified when Celia reveals that she and Ray will be moving soon to rebuild their operation in pastures new… and April is coming with them!
We see the horror on April’s face as Celia coolly explains that she will make her a very rich woman, and expects her answer tomorrow. When April reminds her that tomorrow is Christmas Day, Celia’s reply sums up her whole character. ‘What difference does that make?’
Ho ho ho to you too!
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The walls have been closing in on Celia and Ray’s operation for a while now, with the police beginning to investigate too close to home and several villagers such as Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) growing suspicious of their business practises. That’s why they have decided to flee the village and start again in Wrexham. But Celia has always seen a lot of potential in April. She’s a key part of the operation now.
Will April ever be free of Celia?
