Emmerdale’s Donna Windsor’s won’t tell her family she has cancer as she tries build her daughter April’s relationship with her father Marlon Dingle.
The character, played by Verity Rushworth, recently discovered she is suffering from the serious illness, but she wants to avoid telling people close to her since doesn’t want it to influence her ex-husband’s relationship with his daughter, and would prefer their bond to develop naturally.
Speaking about the heart-wrenching storyline, Verity told Inside Soap magazine: "Her priority is Marlon and April’s relationship and making sure that he, Bob and everyone else accept her into their lives.
"Donna wants the relationship to be organic and real before she tells them, so that her illness isn’t a factor in all of this."
Donna was rushed to hospital by her stepfather Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) after hitting her head and feeling woozy, but once alone with the doctor, Donna revealed the extent of her Mesothelioma – which attacks the protective layer of the body’s organs.
Talking about the illness, Verity explained: "With people who suffer from Mesothelioma, the rare form of cancer that Donna has, the symptoms are really subtle.
"It’s just a bit of breathlessness and coughing. Donna is still working for the police and no one knows she’s ill, so she’s hiding it very well. But what’s happening inside her body is actually progressing quickly, even though she’s still able to keep it from friends and family."
Verity, 28, has returned to ‘Emmerdale’ for a five-month stint after initially playing Donna for 11 years between 1998 and 2009.
Emmerdale’s Donna Windsor will keep cancer secret
