Emmerdale viewers have been following Sarah Sugden's traumatic storyline over the past few months as the teenager awaits a heart transplant in order to save her life. And while fans are hopeful that the youngster will find a successful donor and restore her health, it sounds like there are going to be plenty of twists coming up, as well as a lot of emotional scenes. Actor Ned Porteous, who plays Joe Tate in the ITV soap, spoke to Inside Soap about upcoming scenes, which will see his character arrange a masquerade ball at Home Farm in aid of his girlfriend's daughter.
Emmerdale's Sarah Sugden is waiting for a heart transplant
Ned explained: " Joe plans a masquerade ball at Home Farm. It's a fundraiser for transplant awareness in aid of Sarah, who needs a heart. You can expect a fair few emotional scenes, as the harsh truth of Sarah's situation is that it's not going to get better in the space of a couple of weeks or months." The actor added: "I think the show is doing a good job of depicting the strain on a family when someone is that unwell."
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Actor Matthew Wolfenden, who plays David Metcalfe, also recently opened up about the storyline during an appearance on This Morning. David – who is married to Debbie Dingle actress Charley Webb – said that there is a "big twist" coming up in the next month, and that it is "absolutely brilliant". Charley, meanwhile, has been very vocal about the storyline on social media. The star recently posted a photo of the stage door on the set of Emmerdale, and teased: "More heartbreaking scenes" in the caption.
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Charley also thanked fans for their messages of support in regard to the storyline. She took to Twitter last month after emotional scenes, which saw Sarah decide that she was going to go ahead with the transplant after having doubts, and wrote: "I haven’t watched tonight’s episode but thank you for all of your lovely messages. This story happens to so many people and it’s so sad. I’m glad you think we’re portraying it correctly. It’s so important to us. Xx." Charley also responded to viewers who have had similar experiences in real life to the storyline. One told the actress: "This story line has been so close to my heart. You are all doing an amazing job! To have a child with cardiac problems is always scary but you're doing a fantastic job portraying it," to which she replied: "Thanks Claire, that means a lot. Sending love to you. xx."
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