Emmerdale's Charity Dingle set for New Year heartbreak as secret son's return forces her to relive harrowing rape ordeal
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Emmerdale's Charity Dingle is set for New Year heartbreak when her secret son arrives in the village.
Charity, who has been involved in some of the ITV soap's biggest storylines, will come face-to-face with her son after giving him up as a baby.
His arrival will open up old wounds as Charity is forced to relive her harrowing rape ordeal which resulted in her son being conceived.
Feisty Charity, played by Emma Atkins, will show a more fragile side as her demons finally catch up with her in a dramatic storyline.
The arrival of her secret son will cause rifts between the Dingle family, as Charity struggles to cope with his presence and juggles dealing with her other children.
She discovers that the child she gave birth to as a teenager after being raped has moved near her home in the Yorkshire Dales.
Charity couldn't face bringing up the child she conceived in such awful circumstances and made the tough decision to give him up when he was just days old.
A show source told The Sun : "Charity’s entire world will be rocked when her son is introduced in the New Year. Things have settled for her in terms of her personal life after three kids and as many husbands but this will change everything again.
“She gave up her son, which she’s never revealed before, just days after he was born because he was conceived during a rape. It is going to open up a load of old heartbreak for her.
“It will be tough to watch for viewers — and only someone as good as Emma could pull off the scenes."
(Image: ITV)
Charity is known to be a bit of a maneater, but the arrival of her long lost son will force her to put her love life to one side as she builds a relationship with him.
She has continually struggled to stay on good terms with the rest of the Dingle family, but they will all pull together in her hour of need.
Daughter Debbie will also be shocked by the arrival of her half-brother, who will also get to meet his young brother's Noah and Moses.
* Emmerdale continues on Tuesday on ITV at 7.00pm