‘Emmerdale’ will air a special flash forward sequence next week as part of Grace Kirk’s "traumatic" storyline.
Chas Dingle – played by Lucy Pargeter – will give birth to her and Paddy Kirk’s (Dominic Brunt) daughter next week but the youngster, who has been diagnosed with bilateral renal agenesis, will only be alive for 20 minutes.
Part of the scenes will see Paddy imaging the trio’s life together throughout Grace’s childhood as if she had survived.
Lucy said: "The episode is like a fantasy flash forward. So it’s Grace when she has just been born, then at 1, at 4 and then 12.
"It’s the kind of things they would have done with her if she’d have still been around – it’s in their heads in the delivery room after she’s just been born. They’re thinking about all of the things that they won’t get to do with her. They kind of go there with her in their minds."
The 41-year-old actress found it both "traumatic" and "beautiful" shooting the hard-hitting birth and death scenes.
She added to Digital Spy: "It was traumatic, but it was beautiful filming it. When you are pregnant, you do think about all of the things you are going to do with your child, so it’s nice in a way to have been able to see some of that – and the kids were absolutely gorgeous.
"The episode needs the lightness. We have had a massive build-up of how awful it is going to be, so to have that lightness is a relief. It’s bittersweet to the audience and characters."
Lucy recently admitted she hasn’t needed any help to cry while filming the scenes.
She said: "I’ve had emotional stuff to do and if the emotions don’t come naturally then we normally use a little trigger stick in your eye, jab that in and it makes them water and then you can act the rest, but in this storyline I haven’t had to do any of the false things – the emotions have been there."
Emmerdale to air flash forward episode
