Emmerdale favourite Sarah Sugden's dream of a happy ending has been dealt another cruel blow, as a carefully planned secret wedding descends into chaos, setting the stage for a devastating family secret to be exposed.
A Wedding Plan Backfires
Suffering from the rare illness Fanconi anaemia, which led to cervical cancer and an emergency hysterectomy, Sarah (played by Katie Hill) has been unable to conceive a child with her fiancé, Jacob Gallagher (Joe Warren Plant). In a heartfelt gesture, her grandmother, Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins), offered to be their surrogate.
However, Charity has been hiding a monumental lie: a fling with Ross Barton (Michael Parr) has thrown the baby's true paternity into doubt. Desperate to avoid the typical Dingle wedding drama, Sarah and Jacob hatched a plan to stage a fake baby gender reveal party, which was actually their secret wedding ceremony.
"They are trying to make sure all the important people to them are available," actress Katie Hill revealed. "However, they are having some difficulty with doing this, as no one is prioritising them right now."
Chaos at the Registry Office
The young couple's scheme unravelled spectacularly when key guests Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) and Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton) failed to show up. Instead, Sarah and Jacob ran into the pair at the registry office, where Eric and Kerry were getting married themselves in secret.
"This was the last thing they expected to see just before they were about to get married," Hill explained. "It completely ruined their day as their special moment was now taken away."
In a bittersweet turn, Charity then stepped in to salvage the situation, organising a surprise winter wedding at The Woolpack pub, decorated beautifully for the occasion. "It’s a dream come true for Sarah," said Hill. "She is finally getting her winter wedding she’s always wanted."
The Looming Betrayal
This loving act will only make the impending revelation about the baby's father more painful. Sarah currently has no suspicions, attributing any odd behaviour from Charity to pre-wedding stress. "All the slight worries and concerns she may have about her Gran seeming off, she puts it down to the fact Gran is just stressed," Hill noted.
But Charity is nearing breaking point after months of lying to her husband, Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), and keeping Ross in the dark. She has already confessed her doubts to ex-flame Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick), making it only a matter of time before the truth reaches Sarah.
"I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next," enthused Katie Hill. "It’s definitely a unique storyline that I think I can say has never been done before!" The actress remains hopeful for Sarah, but acknowledges the complexity: "For it to all fall apart would be so sad for her, however it’s a very complicated situation."
The consequences of Charity's secret are set to rock the Dingle family to its core, with the truth poised to shatter Sarah's fragile happiness.
