Charlotte Bellamy has revealed in a special Emmerdale interview that her character, alcoholic Laurel, is about to do something so awful, so horrifying, so tragic, that she feels Marlon will never be able to forgive her.
“Laurel’s drinking started about seven months ago,’ Charlotte says. ‘You saw her reaching for a drink at the end of long, stressful days and it wasn’t really a problem. But over the past couple of months things have really been getting out of control.”
We know Laurel hits Marlon (Mark Charnock) and that is awful… But what she does next devastates her whole family.
“Alcohol makes Laurel feel upset, vulnerable, cross, violent, aggressive, pathetic… And each of these emotions causes her to do things she wouldn’t normally do,” Charlotte adds. “The consequences are just enormous. And the lower she gets the more she drinks. It’s like a vicious circle she can’t escape…”
Marlon is shocked by Laurel’s behaviour but won’t give up on her. That’s when Cain (Jeff Hordley) steps in and tells Laurel to leave.
Cain’s dad, Shadrach, was an alcoholic and Cain knows Marlon can’t save Laurel, she has to save herself.
But Cain doesn’t intervene in time to prevent a total tragedy…
“Laurel’s feeling so angry that everyone says she has a problem,” Charlotte reveals. “She thinks she’s in control but what happens next is something totally unforgivable and very shocking and proves she’s anything but in control.”
Laurel has disappeared and Marlon and Cain go looking for her. They find her car crashed and Laurel down an embankment.
“No, no, no, no, no! Stay back! Don’t look!” Laurel begs Marlon, as he approaches her.
“What have you done?” Marlon asks.
“The consequences of this event are huge and the audience will wonder how she can move on from this, how she can be forgiven,” says Charlotte. “You think she has reached an all-time low but, in fact, it’s only just beginning.”
Emmerdale continues on ITV, Monday, May 4, 7.00pm.
