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Emmerdale star Lucy Pargeter on emotional fallout in Faith cancer story

Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale star Lucy Pargeter has opened up about the emotional fallout in Faith's cancer story.

The matriarch of the Dingle family finally came clean to her children this week about being diagnosed with breast cancer again; this time, it's incurable.

As expected with the volatile Dingles, the family will struggle with their reactions — Cain remains bitter while Chas feels betrayed that Faith turned first to Moira for support.

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

Speaking to Digital Spy and other media about Chas's reaction to the news, the actress said: "Obviously, she is completely devastated by it. There's a mixture of everything that is going on, which is also Cain not connecting with his mum, and Faith obviously desperate to connect with her son.

"Chas is there giving Faith all the support and going to all the appointments with her and supporting her at home, trying to connect Cain to Faith. She's being piggy in the middle while doing all the supporting, and Faith is just wanting to connect with her son.

"So she's got the devastation of the cancer diagnosis and having to deal with her mum wanting affection and attention from Cain, and Chas getting little, or anything, from her mum while being supportive."

Pargeter went on: "It's not looking good for Faith. She says she's not going to go for the chemo, but Chas has talked her into it; it's not Faith's decision herself.

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

"It's Chas saying 'come on mum you've got to do it, you can't give up' so Faith does the right thing for her daughter and goes for the chemo. Chas, underneath it all knows it's not going to lead to a great diagnosis long term."

Many complex emotions also come into play, including jealousy from Chas about her mother hiding the truth from everyone but Moira.

"She doesn't really listen to the reasons why but she's angry she has kept that information away from Chas," Pargeter said.

While such news would bring most families together, the Dingles are a different story altogether because of Cain cutting off his estranged mum in the past.

Photo credit: Ian Gavan - Getty Images
Photo credit: Ian Gavan - Getty Images

"It's not good," the actress said. "They haven't had a great relationship in the past. She abandoned both of them as kids and left them with alcoholic Shadrach, who was very loosely in their lives. So Cain holds a lot of pain, guilt and hatred towards his mum for what they then went through with Shadrach.

"Whereas I think Chas has forgiven her and processed everything that's happened in the past, for Cain it's very raw. I think to let in that emotion about feeling any brief possible grief for his mum or opening up emotions towards his mum, it's easier for Cain to just shut off because that will open up a whole history of their hurt and emotional things they've been through since they were kids."

Pargeter confirmed that future episodes would see Chas torn between accepting Cain's feelings and a desire to reunite her mum and brother before it's too late.

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

"They don't know how much time she's been given, they don't know anything yet, just that she's been diagnosed with the cancer and it's terminal," she said. "It's going to be quite a while I think before any bridges are going to be built in that relationship, but Chas is very keen to keep flogging it and keep trying to get Cain to be back into his mum's life."

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and streams on the ITV Hub.

Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage

If you would like more information or support about living with cancer or treatment, please click here for guidance from Breast Cancer Now, or click here to learn more from Stand Up to Cancer.

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