Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale’s Sarah Sugden and Jacob Gallagher get their second chance at a dream wedding day next week, but Charity Dingle’s shocking baby secret threatens to ruin everything. The young couple were recently left disappointed after their first attempt was derailed by Eric Pollard and Kerry Wyatt’s surprise nuptials, but they’re not giving up just yet.
Looking out for her granddaughter, Charity hatches a plan for Eric to use his old contacts at the council to allow Sarah and Jacob to get married as soon as possible. Before long, Sarah and Jacob are gobsmacked as Charity presents them with a surprise New Year’s Day wedding.
Once again, though, the big day could run into trouble! Vanessa Woodfield is furious after Charity mistakenly accuses her of writing John Sugden’s tell-all note to Mackenzie Boyd, which tried to expose the truth about the baby’s paternity.
With Vanessa now hoping the whole scandal blows up in Charity’s face, will she turn spiteful by ruining the wedding?
Here, Katie Hill – who plays Sarah – previews the big week in store…
ITV
Hi Katie! Are Sarah and Jacob feeling frustrated over how chaotic their wedding planning has become?
“Well, they have been trying to make sure all the important people to them are available, but they’re having some difficulty with doing this as no-one is prioritising them right now. They originally set it up as a baby gender reveal party, even though it was actually their wedding.
“Eric and Charity didn’t want to attend when they thought it was just a party. That definitely made Sarah feel upset, as these two are the most important people to Sarah and Jacob.
“I don’t think Sarah has been questioning Charity too much, as she came up with the excuse of having a work meeting, but Sarah was definitely disheartened to hear she couldn’t or wouldn’t change her plans.”
Has Sarah picked up on Charity’s increasing distance over the pregnancy and surrogacy arrangement?
“I think she has probably noticed that her gran has not been her usual self sometimes. But she puts it down to the fact that her gran is stressing about wanting everything to be okay with the baby.
“So I think it brushes past Sarah. She is also so loved up and excited for this next chapter, so that is what’s driving her to stay positive about everything.”
How did Sarah and Jacob feel about Eric and Kerry’s surprise wedding?
“They were massively in shock, as this was the last thing they expected to see just before they were about to get married. It completely ruined their day as their special moment was now taken away. It was fun filming it, though, and I hope the audience liked watching this shock!”
ITV
In upcoming scenes, Charity tries to make things right by arranging for Sarah and Jacob to have a surprise wedding on New Year’s Day. How does Sarah feel about finally tying the knot?
“She honestly can’t believe it. It’s a dream come true for Sarah. She is finally getting her winter wedding she’s always wanted, just as she thought it was never going to happen.
“It’s the best thing ever for her. We have these lovely scenes where they walk into the pub together all dressed up. It is a total surprise for them that The Woolpack has all been decorated. It was like a dream come true.”
Is it important for Sarah to marry Jacob before the baby arrives?
“Yes. I don’t think Sarah knows exactly why she wanted this, as they aren’t exactly traditional in any other ways when it comes to their relationship, but I think she knew she wanted to have the wedding all sorted and done before the baby came along. Also, she’s being practical as they will be so caught up in newborn life when the baby arrives.”
Is Sarah pleased with how Charity’s pregnancy is progressing?
“Yes! She gets more and more excited as the months go by – and getting to see how her baby has grown at the scans each time is amazing for her. Her and Jacob count down the days for these moments.”
ITV
Does Sarah have any inkling that everything isn’t quite as it seems?
“I don’t think so – all the slight worries and concerns she may have about her gran seeming off, she puts it down to the fact her gran is just stressed about wanting to make sure everything goes smoothly.”
We know that Vanessa is about to blow the secret. Are you looking forward to the next few chapters of this storyline?
“I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. It’s been such a great storyline to play so far and it’s definitely a unique storyline, that I think I can say has never been done before! All of us involved talk about how much we can’t wait to see where this all goes.
“I love working with all of the other cast involved in this storyline. They’re all so talented, so getting to be alongside them on screen is always a privilege. We have so many laughs on set, they really are a good bunch to work with.”
ITV
How are fans reacting?
“I’ve had a few people come up and say: ‘Someone needs to tell poor Sarah it’s not her baby!’ However, people also say they don’t want her to find out and for her to just have her happy ending.”
Will Sarah ever get this baby?
“I hope she gets a happy ending after everything she’s been through. For it to all fall apart would be so sad for her, however it’s a very complicated situation and we don’t know how Sarah would feel about the baby if she finds out the truth.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
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