Emmerdale's Paddy Kirk will consider taking his own life in heart-breaking scenes next month.
Emmerdale's Paddy Kirk will consider taking his own life in heart-breaking scenes next month
The character - played by Dominic Brunt - will begin having suicidal thoughts after a build up of isolation, grief and confusion, and it will lead to him saying his goodbyes to pals in March as his deep depression intensifies.
Dominic said: "It’s a huge honour and a great responsibility to be portraying this storyline.
"It’s an inherent problem in today’s society that most men don’t talk enough about their problems. We bottle them up, we don’t want to bother anyone, we become embarrassed, we feel we should be strong and not show weakness.
"If this story can shine a light on the issue or make even a small change to someone’s outlook or viewpoint, then it will have been worth it.
"It’s also a privilege to be working alongside The Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club in highlighting this issue."
The loveable character has been suffering since the breakdown of his marriage when he discovered his wife Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) had been cheating with Al Chapman, who was portrayed by Michael Wildman until the character's death in October.
Paddy has also started making some uncharacteristically careless mistakes during his work as a vet.
During tonight's (09.02.23) episode, which airs on ITV1, viewers will see Paddy suddenly leave the village without telling his friends or family.
While he will soon be found staying locally in a guest house, it will be clear he is struggling with his mental health and not planning on reconnecting with his loved ones for some time.
In March, Paddy will head back to the village and say some goodbyes to his friends, before leaving again with the aim of ending his own life.
'Emmerdale' producer Laura Shaw said: "As soon as we started discussing this story we knew that it was vital for us to get it right and that we needed to open up the conversation about male depression and suicide.
"Paddy is usually very happy-go-lucky in life, always joking and having a laugh, but what we see is that recent events have really taken their toll.
"Despite him being popular and having lots of friends and family around him, Paddy starts to feel increasingly lonely, isolated and overwhelmed by his feelings and this leads to him having some very dark thoughts.
"We've worked really closely with Samaritans and Andy's Man Club every step of the way through this story and their incredible support and insight has helped us to shape Paddy's journey into a true reflection of what thousands of men sadly go through every year."
Lorna Fraser, the Executive Lead for Samaritans’ Media Advisory Service, said: "Paddy’s story creates an opportunity to show others, particularly middle-aged men, however difficult times can become, it's always possible to get help and get through, and ultimately recover.
"Depression and suicide are extremely serious topics, so we’re pleased to have seen the producers work so hard to ensure they got this story right in its telling.
"We encourage anyone touched by this story to reach out to Samaritans, our amazing volunteers are always here to listen, day and night."
'Emmerdale' airs 7.30PM weeknights on ITV1.
Tagged in Dominic Brunt