Charity hopes Emmerdale storyline will ‘shine a light’ on epilepsy

An epilepsy charity has praised Emmerdale for its seizure storyline, saying it could help more young people with the condition.

Viewers have seen the character Liv Flaherty (Isobel Steele) suffering from seizures in the ITV soap.

The programme sought advice from the charity Young Epilepsy on the storyline, and its chief executive Mark Devlin said he is hopeful that it will raise awareness.

“It has been fantastic to work with Emmerdale on Liv’s seizure storyline and we hope this will help shine a light on some of the issues faced by young people living with epilepsy,” he said.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that disrupts the normal electrical activity our brains use to communicate with the rest of the body. This disruption causes seizures.

The organisation said it affects over 112,000 children and young people in the UK alone, and that it can have an ongoing effect on mental health, education, work and home life.

Young Epilepsy provides information and guidance to young people and their families.