Emmerdale fans have watched Tracey Metcalfe struggling ever since she had her baby daughter, Frankie, back in February. But next week's episodes will see the new mum hit rock bottom and secretly flee the village.
Tracy, who is sadly suffering from post-natal depression, has been panicking about being left alone with her baby for months, terrified that she might unwittingly do something to harm her daughter. But things are set to get even worse for Tracy when Faith Dingle finds her vacant and detached at the village bus stop next week.
As the pair chat, Faith is sure there is something not quite right with Tracy, but she buries her concerns and later when she gets home, Tracy is quick to pack a bag and tell Nate she is staying the night at Priya's.
Nate doesn't think anything more about the fact his girlfriend is heading out for the evening, especially when she assures him that she loves him and Frankie very much.
However, what Nate doesn't know, is Tracy isn't going to Priya's at all, and before long she is secretly getting into a taxi and telling the driver that she won't be coming back to the village.
The next morning Nate is panicked when he discovers Tracy didn't stay at Priya's the night before and soon his fears for his girlfriend's wellbeing start to spiral.
It's only when Faith admits that she had a strange conversation with Tracy the previous day that Nate really panics, knowing something isn't right about his girlfriend's vanishing act.
Recalling her conversation with Tracy, Faith gets an idea about where she might have gone and heads off to search. But while Faith is playing Miss Marple, Nate is beside himself with worry, terrified that something awful has happened to Tracy.
Thankfully, Faith comes up trumps and manages to track Tracy down at her dad's tree in the middle of a cornfield, but Faith's relief is soon replaced with panic when Tracy starts to open up.
As Tracy flits from eerie calm to complete paranoia, Faith quickly realises she's not well at all. Convinced she has post-natal depression, Faith knows she needs to get help as soon as possible, but will she manage to convince Tracy to accept the support that she so desperately needs?
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays - see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITV Hub now.
