Emmerdale’s Lucy Pargeter reveals Chas Dingle’s baby’s birth and death will have viewers ‘smiling through their tears’
Viewers will have to prepare for the emotional episode with a huge box of tissues, the actress warns
EMMERDALE star Lucy Pargeter warned fans to grab the tissues when Chas Dingle gives birth to daughter Grace - but hopes they will be smiling through their tears.
The actress exclusively opened up to The Sun Online about the episode, which will see Chas's baby born with a medical condition that means she won't survive for long.
She said that she hopes it helps people, adding: "I hope so, I really really hope so and we've said it's not your typical episode.
"I was pleased to see it because I didn't want to do as much harrowing birth [acting] and everything.
"It will hopefully it will have people smiling through their tears as well as being deeply upset by it - I hope."
The actress, who has received huge acclaim for how she has portrayed Chas' journey through the entire of the storyline, admitted it was the hardest one she had ever taken on.
She said: "It's been extremely difficult. I've had emotional stuff to do and if the emotions don't come naturally then we normally use a little trigger stick in your eye, jab that in and it makes them water and then you can act the rest, but in this storyline I haven't had to do any of the false things.
"The emotions have been there. Both me and Dom [who plays Paddy] have had to go to some pretty dark places.
"It's been difficult but the writing has been so beautiful and the topic is so emotive anyway that it's been ridiculously harrowing and really hard but, as I say, we're not going through it.
"At the end of the day we're getting to go home to our beautiful kids and we've been lucky to have healthy kids.
"It's been one of, if not the, hardest storyline I've ever had to do."
Lucy also revealed how she has received letters and messages from fans telling how the storyline has allowed them to open up about what they have been through to their friends and families.
She said: "We've had lots of responses on social media and a lot of letters - not that I've managed to get through many.
"But a lot of response on social media that I've seen regarding a number of conditions that people have had babies with. It's not just the bilateral renal agenesis that people have been through, it's been an awful lot, a wide-range of things.
"It's brought it all back and it's not a thank you, because it's brought all the emotions back but hopefully we have been telling a story that a lot of people can't necessarily talk to their friends about - about the emotions and how difficult it is for them.
"So to see it played out in such a wide genre such as soap, it gets people talking and it gets people to open up. Thankfully so far the response has been positive."
Fortunately Lucy has been able to share the burden of such a devastating storyline with her co-star Dominic Brunt.
Lucy said: "He's been an absolute dream and we've had to laugh through the heartache, as his character does.
"It's added an amazing dynamic through the coupling and has made it not all one level. He's just professional and talented and just a dream to work with."
The couple are going to struggle as they come to terms with the loss of their daughter Grace after her birth - but it will bond them forever.
Lucy explained: "They've got a closer bond, now they've come through.
"The journey they've been through has been very difficult, you know Paddy reached the organ donation decision much earlier than her. They went through whether they were going to go through the pregnancy early on, Chas was for it, Paddy was against it and for termination.
"But at the moment they're on the same playing field and they're both feeling the same towards the pregnancy and the birth. They're pretty informed about what's going to happen. At the moment they're on the same page and they're very strong."
And while this heartbreaking storyline will have a long-term effect on Chas, one thing Lucy's looking forward to is becoming re-mired into the wider Dingle family's exploits.
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Lucy added: "The Dingle women are very strong with storyline at the moment so trying to find time to intermingle them is quite difficult but I'm sure we'll intertwine at some point and have some interesting outcomes."
- Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV
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