Emmerdale star Emma Atkins has explained why Debbie Dingle was sent off to Australia ahead of Sarah Sugden’s big storyline.
Charity Dingle actor Emma spoke exclusively to us on the red carpet at the British Soap Awards recently, reflecting on Sarah’s plot and why Debbie won’t be making an appearance.
Last month, Sarah called her mum Debbie and prepared to share the news that she could have cervical cancer.
Before Sarah got her chance to say anything, Debbie revealed that she’d emigrated to Australia after secretly marrying her new partner Chris.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Feeling abandoned by her mum, Sarah opted not to tell her about her health concerns after all.
In a new chat with us, Emma, who plays Sarah’s gran, confirmed that the plot twist was written in to avoid inevitable questions on Debbie’s whereabouts, explaining if Debbie was still living closer in Scotland, fans would naturally expect her to be playing a more central role in the storyline.
Emma told us: “I mean, they [the writers] had to do something, I guess! And that’s what they did.
“I guess that’s given me a sort-of maternal place in Sarah’s world. Because I’m playing the role that Debbie would have been playing – so for me that’s great.”
Laughing, she added: “I guess playing a grandma – I know I don’t look old enough – is fun and I love it.
“And I love working with Katie Hill [who plays Sarah]. I’ve got so much coming up with her. She’s such a brilliant young actress. So I just feel privileged, really.”
Debbie left the regular cast of Emmerdale in 2019 and later returned for a guest stint in 2020 and 2021. Charley Webb, who plays Debbie, has often indicated in interviews that she has no current plans to return.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Sarah’s diagnosis was confirmed in a recent episode. Although she has told Charity about her plans to have a baby via IVF, Sarah hasn’t shared the news about her health yet.
Asked how Charity would react to the truth about Sarah’s diagnosis, Emma replied: “Obviously Charity is so concerned about Sarah’s health [anyway], on a permanent basis. So she would always want to be on a level with it – and knowing the truth.
“So at the moment, Sarah’s keeping those secrets from her but I think Charity senses it. So we’ll see.”
Catch up on the British Soap Awards 2025 now on ITVX.
