Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) and Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb)’s marriage comes under massive strain in upcoming Emmerdale episodes – but could that ultimately pave the way for a rekindling of a previous romance for Charity as Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) steps up to support her?

Emma Atkins speculated on the possibility when she recently spoke to us about Charity’s current storyline, which sees her offering to act as a surrogate for her granddaughter Sarah (Katie Hill).

Emma said that Charity takes the decision without consulting Mackenzie, as Sarah is her only concern.

‘Once she’s set a decision in place she doesn’t really back out of stuff. She commits. She goes full pelt without thinking of any of the consequences. So for her, I think there’s a lot of pride there, and there’s a lot of loyalty and protection towards her granddaughter. So I think she’s not willing to allow anything to get in the way of this.’

Of course this is a hugely emotional issue for Charity and Mack as a couple, after they suffered tragedy with an ectopic pregnancy and Charity made the decision she didn’t want any more children.

Mackenzie is concerned and worried that she’s prepared to go through a pregnancy for Sarah and has gone ahead without discussing it with him.

‘There’s a lot of emotional scarring and wounds there for them both that they probably have pushed under a carpet and they’re not really discussing because Charity made the decision that she didn’t want to have another baby, and so I think that will create a lot of tension and resentment, and we’ll probably see that play out in the not too distant future,’ Emma reflected.

Mackenzie issues an ultimatum: That if Charity goes ahead with the surrogacy, their marriage is over.

As the marriage hits the rockiest patch it’s been in for some time, we’ve also seen Vanessa recently supporting Sarah when she first began to consider IVF. Could Vanessa and Charity soon be getting closer again?

The two were previously a fan-favourite couple. ‘A lot of people took to that and it resonated. The fact it was two women, it made a brilliant impact for a lot of people,’ Emma Atkins said previously.

She speculated about whether a reunion could be on the cards in 2025.

‘I think when they do have scenes together, there’s always that potential for an opening again, of reconnection, because they get on so well as friends,’ she said.

‘There’s always that spark and you never know in soap properly what they choose to do from one moment to the next, and it’s always a joy to work with Michelle. So either way, it’s going to be a win-win. Even if they just have a lovely friendship, because there is a friendship there to be had.’

Regarding Charity and Mack’s marriage, Emma said she would like to think it could stand the pressures of the current situation.