Emmerdale's longest-serving character Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) has been struggling in the wake of his heartbreaking diagnosis.
Determined to go through it alone, he has been hiding his struggles from his wife Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop) and quickly concealed a hospital appointment letter before she could see it.
In recent scenes, Pollard lashed out at Brenda, who was concerned about her husband's wellbeing and questioned if he was okay.
Later on, Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) turned up at the shop where Pollard was working and demanded to know why he wasn't answering her messages.
She asked him if he had told his family yet, but he told her that he wanted to come to terms with it himself and see what they say at his appointment.
Mandy encouraged him to tell Brenda, but an emotional Pollard broke down and said that he was only going to get worse and didn't want to be a burden on Brenda.
With the soap legend wanting to keep his ailing health a secret, what is wrong with Pollard in Emmerdale?
What is wrong with Pollard in Emmerdale?
Pollard revealed the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's, the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world.
In tear-jerking scenes, Eric opened up to Mandy about his struggles recently and how terrified he was feeling about his future. He swore Mandy to secrecy, who has insisted that he tell his partner Brenda ever since.
Will he listen to Mandy and come clean to Brenda?
Emmerdale has worked closely with the charity Parkinson’s UK for this storyline, who will continue to support the production team to give Eric’s story a realistic and authentic depiction whilst creating awareness of the condition and how it affects those afflicted.
Actor Chris Chittell said of the storyline: “I feel really privileged to be given this storyline. Parkinson’s is indiscriminate, deceptive and wickedly unkind targeting so many. I want to do this storyline justice for the most courageous of people who are having to bear the brunt of this condition.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30 pm on ITV1, with a hour-long episode on Thursdays — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITVX.
