Emmerdale has shared an emotional new look at Marlon Dingle’s major health battle next week after he suffers a stroke.
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The new storyline is aimed to educate viewers on the early warning signs of a stroke, and will begin with Marlon collapsing soon after he and Rhona Goskirk (Zoë Henry) propose to each other.
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While he desperately tries to remember the FAST acronym after realising what’s going on, daughter April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) thankfully discovers him and Marlon is subsequently rushed to hospital.
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Related: Emmerdale reveals first look at Marlon Dingle’s health battle in new storyline
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In the new trailer, Marlon looks horrified into the mirror as his face shows symptoms of a stroke, including a drooped mouth and eye, before he collapses onto the floor.
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April desperately urges him to speak to her after discovering him, while an upset Rhona looks at her engagement ring in the hospital.
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“Will you just come back to me, please? I can’t cope,” Paddy Kirk emotionally begs Marlon by his bedside.
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Rhona later shows fighting spirit, as she tells Marlon: “It doesn’t matter how long this takes, or how hard this is. We’re going to do it together.”
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Related: Emmerdale star reveals long-term consequences of Marlon’s stroke storyline
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The soap has worked with the Stroke Association charity on the storyline, and will show events from Marlon’s perspective to depict what a stroke feels like “in the moment”.
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Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw explained: “It felt totally right to play such an incredibly important story as this, with Marlon highlighting that a stroke can happen at any time and showing the catastrophic consequences it can have on the person affected and their whole family.”
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She continued: “As the story unfolds, we follow the tragic and heartbreaking long-lasting repercussions it has on Marlon and his friends and family, and how their love for each other shines through as they all pull together at this most difficult time.”
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Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and streams on the ITV Hub.
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Stroke Association has further information and support on stroke. You can call their helpline on 0303 3033 100 or visit their website at www.stroke.org.uk.