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‘Emmerdale’ star Sally Dexter: Faith is ‘numb’ over cancer diagnosis

FROM ITV

STRICT EMBARGO 
Print media - No Use Before Tuesday 13th July 2021
Online Media - No Use Before Tuesday 13th July 2021

Emmerdale - Ep 9106

Thursday 22nd July 2021 - 1st Ep

Faith Dingle [SALLY DEXTER] pleads with a distressed Sarah Sugden [KATIE HILL] to keep quiet, but as Chas Dingle [LUCY PARGETER] appears and demands the truth, it looks like Faith will be forced to come clean

Picture contact David.crook@itv.com 

Photographer - Mark Bruce

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
Faith has been hiding a devastating secret in Emmerdale (ITV)

Sally Dexter says her Emmerdale alter ego Faith Dingle is left feeling ‘numb’ after receiving her breast cancer diagnosis.

Faith has been behaving strangely for a while, and in tonight’s instalment of the ITV soap we finally learnt the extent of her situation. The character went to the hospital to meet with an oncologist, where she was informed that her cancer had returned.

Daughter-in-law Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb), accompanied Faith to the appointment after the latter confided in her. While her condition is treatable, she was told that it isn’t curable. And speaking at a recent press event, Dexter explains how Faith feels in the wake of this news.

Read more: Next week on Emmerdale

“I think she’s absolutely shell-shocked. Her response is: numb," the actor reveals. She also adds that Moira’s presence influences how Faith reacts in the moment.

FROM ITV

STRICT EMBARGO 
Print media - No Use Before Tuesday 9th March 2021
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Emmerdale - Ep 8996

Wednesday 17th March 2021

Mack [LAWRENCE ROBB] returns to tell Moira Dingle [NATALIE J ROBB] himself and a further secret - how will she react? Can she forgive her brother for his lies? 

Picture contact David.crook@itv.com 

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
Moira was on hand to support Faith (ITV)

“She can’t take it in. And in a sense, Moira being there relieves her of having to react. It’s Moira who reacts emotionally; and funnily enough, I think when somebody else cries or is emotional, you aren’t. Well, certainly it is with me, it does tend to get passed over to them.

“In some ways it’s not a good thing, because really, if Faith was on her own with the oncologist, I think there would have been a different reaction.”

Read more: Emmerdale star Jeff Hordley on Cain's strained relationship with mum Faith

Asked whether Faith is relieved that she’s not completely on her own with the secret now, Dexter says: “Yes. By the same token, I think she wouldn’t have liked to have that big emotional response. She’s relieved that Moira does it for her.”

FROM ITV

STRICT EMBARGO
Print media - No Use Before Tuesday 3rd May 2022
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Emmerdale - Ep 9358

Monday 9th May 2022

Faith Dingle [SALLY DEXTER] girds herself to make things up with Cain Dingle [JEFF HORDLEY] but her attempt just unleashes a torrent of abuse from him and even Chas Dingle [LUCY PARGETER] tells her to get lost. 

Picture contact - David.crook@itv.com

Photographer - Mark Bruce

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
Cain wants nothing to do with his mother (ITV)

Despite being thankful for that support, Faith isn’t ready for anyone else to know about her illness. Explaining why that is, the star muses: “I think she feels if she reveals her worst fears, suddenly she will be a different person in other people’s eyes.

“They will not see her, they will see her condition rather than her as a person, and they’ll treat her differently. It is that thing of, if she lets Cain and Chas know, she’s fearful that, particularly with Cain, he will pity her but still despise her,” Dexter notes.

FROM ITV

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Print media - No Use Before Tuesday 10th May 2022
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Emmerdale - Ep 9365

Tuesday 17th May 2022

Faith Dingle [SALLY DEXTER] apologises to Dan Spencer [LIAM FOX] for last week's incident. 

Picture contact - David.crook@itv.com

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
Faith wants to keep her illness a secret from her loved ones (ITV)

She adds that Faith is also fearful that her family won’t be interested at all. “I think there is that chance in her mind, that she thinks that the worst outcome is that they find out that she’s got cancer, and they don’t care – she’s alone. And that’s probably the hardest thing of all.”

Read more: Emmerdale's Emile John praises 'bravery' of soap in racism story

Dexter tells us that the filming process for these scenes was tricky for one particular reason. “The first time that we do a line run, the emotion comes splurging out, and if you’re not careful it splurges out of you completely."

FROM ITV

STRICT EMBARGO
Print media - No Use Before Tuesday 8th February 2022
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Emmerdale - Ep 9288

Wednesday 16th February 2022

Chas Dingle [LUCY PARGETER] is determined to make Cain Dingle [JEFF HORDLEY] see sense as she gives him a lecture. They reflect on happier times but can Chas finally make Cain see sense?

Picture contact - David.crook@itv.com

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
Faith fears further rejection from her son and daughter (ITV)

“You’re left wretched and wracked by them and totally empty – after you’ve had a good cry that happens, doesn’t it, you feel kind of relieved and empty.

“You have to be very careful you don’t do that on the first read through, so it’s a question of holding it back, and back, and back; because they do a wide shot, they do a mid-shot, they do a long shot and then they come in for a close up,” she reveals.

“So you’ve done the same point of emotion about six times before you come to the point where you’ve got to really let it rip; so that can be challenging! Because some of the scenes are so well-written, that it’s difficult not to just have a gut reaction to them from the word go, and let that run out.”

Watch the moment Faith returned to Emmerdale last year