AN Emmerdale favourite has revealed they are terrified of being axed after a shock murder twist.
The Christmas episodes of the ITV soap saw villain Harry shot and killed as he held Mackenzie hostage as revenge for his treatment of his daughter Chloe.
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Harry was shot by Charity as they both scrambled for the gun, and despite the police recently telling her the coroner had ruled Harry’s death an accident, she has been struggling to cope with what she did.
Now Emma Atkins – who plays Charity – has opened up about her character’s latest turmoil, and what it could mean for her Emmerdale future.
She said: “It’s the constant reliving of that moment, so despite the fact she did it to save Mackenzie, she’s never ever been in that situation before. She’s never had a gun in her hand.
“It’s such close contact as well that I think it’s just so utterly traumatic and beyond anyone’s comprehension. I think it troubles her to the point where she can’t really relate to anyone.”
Charity has certainly struggled to keep her emotions in check lately, lashing out at her loved ones and crumbling when she’s alone.
And Emma revealed the situation is only going to get worse.
She said: “She’s constantly reliving the moment and it’s going to lead to a lot of PTSD, really.
“The shutters are coming down and she’s just going through her own hell. She’s locking it all in and trying to compartmentalise it which makes it worse.
“She’s just a ticking time bomb herself in terms of she doesn’t know how to deal with it. She’s lost.”
More often than not in soapland, killers get their comeuppance, and even though Charity’s was accidental, Emma admits she did wonder what would happen to her alter ego in the longterm.
She said: “I guess I’m a bit like what will be will be. You can never really be fearful of these things, because if my time at Emmerdale has come to an end, then I will always be okay because that’s my job, I’ve chosen to be an actor.
“You just sort of going with the flow. I did think at one point, ‘Oh, God, my character has now killed.’ But then when I read the script, I realised actually, it’s an act of love. It’s an act of self defence.
“She doesn’t do it purposefully. There’s no intent to kill. So that made me feel a bit better!”
Emmerdale airs on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.