Emmerdale working with charities as breast cancer storyline planned
The show will follow Chas Dingle as she finds a lump on her breast
Producers at Emmerdale are working with charities as they look to tackle a storyline surrounding breast cancer.
The plotline will focus on Chas Dingle, played by Lucy Parteger, as she discovers that she has a lump in her breast.
Whilst having a fling with village doctor Liam Cavanagh, he finds a lump in her breast and when she goes for a scan, it is revealed that she has triple negative breast cancer.
The Yorkshire soap opera, which airs on ITV1, has covered cancer storylines in the past, highlighting the emotional trauma faced by those affected by the disease.
ITV is working with breast cancer charity Breast Cancer Now, a support charity launched in 2015 as it aims to raise vital awareness of keeping check with one's breasts.
Lucy, aged 46, already has experience in portraying the effects of the devastating disease, as her character Chas battled the condition previously.
In 2022, it was announced that Chas' cancer had returned, marking a sombre anniversary as Lucy marked twenty years of being on the soap.
Speaking about the upcoming storyline, Lucy said that it was important to show the audience every aspect of the diagnosis, no matter how emotional. She saw her own mother ultimately die after an incurable breast cancer diagnosis, so for Chas to receive a breast cancer diagnosis herself, makes it all the more poignant," she explained.
"So for them to see this story play out will be more meaningful given everything that has happened to both her and her mother."
Similarly, Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks said that the show was "acutely aware" of the importance of the plotline.
"With Chas's family history of breast cancer and Chas being such a strong character, and in many ways the bedrock of the Dingles, we wanted to show the impact on not just her, but her immediate family," Kate added.
"With Lucy Pargeter's innate ability to showcase Chas's vulnerabilities beneath her hardened exterior, we knew she was absolutely the right character to play this with."