Lucy Pargeter wonders how Chas and Paddy can possibly move forward
Emmerdale star Lucy Pargeter says “there’s no manual for grief” as Chas Dingle and Paddy Kirk prepare to bury their baby daughter next week.
The ITV soap has seen some tragic scenes over the years, but the sight of Paddy carrying a tiny coffin barely bigger than a shoebox has to be one of the saddest.
The vet and his partner Chas Dingle are burying their daughter Grace, who passed away shortly after her birth due to a rare genetic disorder, bilateral renal agenesis.
To say that the day is difficult for the pair is something of an understatement. Chas and Paddy had just minutes with their little girl, and are bereft over her loss.
“I don’t know how they’ll move forward,” says Lucy, who plays Chas Dingle.
[Check out the latest Emmerdale spoilers]
As Chas tries to brace herself for what’s to come, she goes through Grace’s memory box in the back room of The Woolpack, and she is understandably choked up.
Lucy adds: “How would you move forward? There’s no manual for grief and there’s certainly no manual for couples dealing with grief.”
Cain can see that his sister is struggling when he arrives, and holds her in his arms. As she explains that Paddy has planned everything for the funeral, Cain worries that Chas has let her fiancé take over the arrangements without giving thought to her own wishes.
All too soon, Paddy reports that Grace has arrived, and the grieving parents begin their difficult journey to the church.
As they head outside, they’re overwhelmed to see the villagers lining the streets. Harriet then leads the proceedings as Chas and Paddy bid Grace a final farewell.
Can they find a way to cope?
Emmerdale continues on ITV.
