Emmerdale heartbreak as beloved villager rocked by shock cancer diagnosis in emotional scenes
AN Emmerdale resident is set to face heartbreak after being rocked by a shock cancer diagnosis in emotional scenes.
Chas Dingle will be devastated to discover a lump in her breast on the ITV soap.
Chas’s diagnosis will be emotional and frightening for her with the added stress and worry following her mother Faith's own tragic cancer story.
The diagnosis comes about after Chas - played by Lucy Pargeter - enjoys a fun fling with the village doctor, Liam Cavanagh.
However, the mood is shattered when the GP tells her he has felt a lump in her breast.
Although Liam does his best to reassure her that it could be a cyst or something benign and not cancer, he does insist she follow this up without delay by making an appointment to see her GP.
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Before long following a trip to the breast clinic for diagnostic tests, the news is soon given that she has triple negative breast cancer.
Shell-shocked by the news, Chas initially decides to keep her diagnosis to herself.
As a mother to a young daughter, she is keen to stay healthy, and with her mother’s history at the forefront of her thoughts, Chas is well aware of the potential implications.
Producer Kate Brooks said: “When this story was first pitched, we were acutely aware how important it was to explore this.
"With Chas’s family history of breast cancer and Chas being such a strong character, and in many ways the bedrock of the Dingles, we wanted to show the impact on not just her, but her immediate family.
"With Lucy Pargeter’s innate ability to showcase Chas’s vulnerabilities beneath her hardened exterior, we knew she was absolutely the right character to play this with.”
Emmerdale is working with charity Breast Cancer Now on the storyline, and Kate added: “We approached Breast Cancer Now as we wanted to depict this story in the most authentic way possible.
"Any light we can shed on this disease and encourage and remind people to routinely check their breasts can hopefully help lead to more positive outcomes.”
Lucy, 46, added: "When the producers first discussed this storyline with me I knew I didn’t want us to shy away from any aspect of this diagnosis for Chas.
"She saw her own mother ultimately die after an incurable breast cancer diagnosis, so for Chas to receive a breast cancer diagnosis herself, makes it all the more poignant.
"Our audience knows her so well, they have seen her relationships, know her faults, her passions, her insecurities, quirks and fears. So for them to see this story play out will be more meaningful given everything that has happened to both her and her mother.
"I think this is the beauty of our genre ‘Soap’. However, I am more than aware of the huge responsibility with us telling this story. I hope we can do it justice."
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She continued: "It won’t be all doom and gloom, there will be ups and downs just like with anything. But I hope it looks and feels real.
"And if just a few people get help for breast changes that do not feel or look right, it could do some good too.”