‘Emmerdale’ star Verity Rushworth has teased there will be more "twists and turns" for her character Donna Dingle.
Viewers were left stunned last week when the feisty policewoman admitted she was dying from a rare form of lung cancer and, although she’s determined to hide the secret about her illness from the rest of the village, Verity admits it’s set to get more "dramatic" before her death.
The 28-year-old actress, who left the soap in 2009 before returning last month, told The Sun newspaper: "It is very definite, but I couldn’t say no to such an amazing and challenging storyline. It feels right. I played Donna for 12 years and it is closure. It’s going to be so draining and challenging and then it gets much more dramatic. There are more twists and turns and gear-changes after this."
Donna knows she needs to tell her friends and family about her lung cancer – known as mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure – but she doesn’t want to upset her young daughter April.
Verity explained: "Donna knows she has to tell her family, but she doesn’t want to upset everyone and dreads telling April. She wants to keep normality for as long as possible and she doesn’t know how long she’s got. As soon as people know, she will be ‘Donna who is ill’, and she hates the idea of April knowing."
Meanwhile, fans need to brace themselves for some heartbreaking episodes coming up as Donna begins to put together a memory box for April for when she’s older.
Verity said: "She fills it with the perfume she wears, money for uni and a deposit, photos and videos, birthday cards until she is 21 — scenes that are so sad. She’s in a terrible situation."
Emmerdale’s Verity Rushworth: ‘Twists and turns’ for dying Donna Dingle
