It was a Christmas Day full of shocks for the Dingle family in Emmerdale this year – a fitting festive season for how 2025 has gone so far.
At the centre of the Dingle drama was Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) who has been harbouring an enormous secret – the baby she’s carrying might not be who everyone thinks.
Charity is supposedly acting as surrogate for granddaughter Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill), but there is a chance that the baby isn’t the one she and Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) conceived through IVF.
It is entirely possible that the baby is actually Charity’s own child, after an impromptu and ill-advised fumble with Ross Barton (Michael Parr).
Unfortunately, Charity isn’t the only one harbouring the knowledge of their secret dalliance, having previously confided in ex-fiancée Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick), who – like many – is partial to the odd tipple on Christmas Day.
This makes her a complete liability where Charity is concerned, and the maybe-mother-maybe-grandmother-to-be steered her away from listening ears to warn her in no uncertain terms to keep her mouth shut.
In true soap fashion, their argument attracted the attention of none other than Ross himself – but the trouble didn’t end there.
While cuddled up on the sofa with husband Mack Boyd (Lawrence Robb) later that evening, Charity was completely oblivious to an envelope being pushed through the door.
But who was it from, and what secrets are contained within? Could Charity’s secret be set to unravel?
Across the village, April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) threw herself into the festivities, sharing a heartwarming moment with dad Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) along the way.
However, it was a bittersweet affair for the troubled teen, whose harrowing experiences this year have led her into the clutches of drug-dealers and people traffickers, Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) and Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths).
While smooth-talking charmer Ray is the face of their criminal empire, Celia is the iron fist that keeps everything – and everyone – under control, and she has refused to let April out of her grip without a fight.
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So when Marlon and Rhona demanded April’s freedom after learning of her ordeal, Celia struck a cruel bargain with them.
She and Ray blackmailed Marlon into paying them a weekly sum of £2,000 to ‘save’ his daughter from exploitation as part of their drug dealing, human trafficking and modern slavery ring.
It was a noble act of sacrifice from Marlon that proved the love he has for his little girl, but April has recognised the financial toll the agreement has already taken on the family and decided it couldn’t continue.
When she admitted defeat and informed Celia that she would go back to work for her if she left her family alone, Celia dropped a bombshell: She was moving her operation out of town and was taking April with her.
April was given until Christmas Day to make her choice, and as the day drew to a close it became devastatingly clear why she had been so invested in the celebrations – she knew it was her last Christmas.
When Celia sent a text hounding her for an answer, April called her and stoically agreed to leave the village with her and Ray. She’ll be part of their criminal empire forever.
Will April ever manage to escape the evil clutches of her abusers?
