EMMERDALE'S Charity broke down in tears after a surprise birthday party backfired following life-changing news from the police.
Charity - played by Emma Atkins - has been trying to keep it together ever since Christmas Day, when she shot and killed villain Harry.
Harry had been holding her husband Mackenzie hostage and after a tussle, both Charity and Harry reached for the gun before a shot rang out, and he was killed.
In tonight's episode, Charity and Mack were visited by a member of the police, who informed them that the coroner had recorded Harry's death as accidental, and as a consequence, the Crown Prosecution Service saw no public interest in pursuing things any further.
Charity was stunned to learn she was off the hook, but the guilt of still having killed a man - accidentally or not - continued to eat away at her as the episode progressed.
Her loved ones through her a 'surprise' birthday part in the Woolpack, but when Isaac burst a balloon right next to Charity, she whipped round and grabbed him roughly and cried: "What are you playing at?!"
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The bang clearly triggered her, but she quickly pulled herself together and pretended she was just messing with the kids.
Later, she attempted to distract herself by sleeping with Mackenzie, before asking him to run her a bath.
But once he had left the room, Charity started to have a panic attack, her chest tightening her breath and tears flowing down her face.
As she paced the living room she sobbed before telling herself: "Stop it, stop it ok? Just get it together, get it together."
As she looked at herself in the mirror and tried to calm her breathing, she continued: "It was nothing, it was nothing."
Emmerdale viewers quickly shared their concern for Charity on X - formerly Twitter.
One wrote: "So Mack just had sex with Charity who is clearly suffering from some kind of ptsd and he didn't notice? That's a bit revolting."
Another added: "Think Charity's heading for a meltdown."
A third tweeted: "Aw I don’t like seeing Charity like this."
Emmerdale airs on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.