In devastating scenes three years ago, Emmerdale’s Faith Dingle underwent a mastectomy in her fight against breast cancer, keeping the illness secret from her family.
The Dingle matriarch, played by Sally Dexter, is now in remission from the disease, but her cancer threatens to return in upcoming scenes.
Emmerdale spoilers have revealed Faith will collapse in the cafe, prompting doctor Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) to summon her for an MRI scan.
While it’s not clear whether her cancer has returned, the health scare will leave Faith fearing the worst – hinting at a potential soap exit.
Ahead of the heartbreaking scenes, actress Sally, 61, who has played Faith since 2017, opened up about the poignant storyline.
While Faith often features in comical scenes, this new story arc will show the character’s rarely-seen vulnerable side.
Speaking to Daily Star and assorted press, Sally said: “She’s scared.
“I think once you’ve been bitten by cancer, it’s very easy to live in fear, in some ways, of it coming back.
“Although she doesn’t live in fear of it, it hovers in the back of her mind.”
She went on: “This pain gets worse and worse in her back and her hip. This one occasion, in front of Eric [Pollard] in the cafe, it’s a really bad pain and it numbs her leg, which then sort of folds underneath her.
(Image: ITV)
“She collapses on the floor and he realises that something is very wrong.”
Manpreet arranges for Faith to undergo testing to get to the root of the issue, refusing to give her “false security”.
When asked whether Faith believes her cancer has returned, Sally said: “I think in the back of her mind she really feels that it might have, because that’s the fear. But, she’s Faith, so she has faith that it won’t.
“She will battle on as much as she can until she knows it’s actually what she’s dealing with.”
(Image: ITV)
If the storyline takes a tragic turn, signalling the return of the devastating disease, Faith will make the most of her final days.
“She will cope with it stoically, which is something that you wouldn’t perhaps expect of her,” Sally admitted.
“I think she will discover strength that she didn’t know she had. Always with humour, because that’s her way to cope ad it strengthens her. She doesn’t want to go around being a wet blanket for anybody else.
(Image: Daily Mirror)
“If she’s got limited time, she’s going to live it to the nth degree and have the best time she possibly could.”
Actress Sally, who also has an esteemed career on the stage, reflected on her reaction to the moving new storyline.
She said: “I kind of feel pretty much how Faith does. We all deal with some very serious things in our lives with humour.
“Through humour, we find sort of a strength. That’s not to say you’re laughing it off – you’re just laughing it in, laughing to make it easier, more understandable.”
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While it’s not confirmed whether Faith is facing a serious illness, her health battle – and the emotions it stirs – could signal a change in her relationship with the Dingle family.
Will we see a white flag waved by Cain Dingle as his mother’s health deteriorates?
Emmerdale continues on Wednesday at 8pm on ITV for a one hour long show.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
