In heartbreaking moments, Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) of Emmerdale broke the devastating news to Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) that he had Parkinson’s disease.
Watchers discovered his diagnosis in flashback sequences as Eric confides with Mandy about his fear of the future and Lydia (Karen Blick) tries to figure out who killed Craig Reed (Ben Addis).
“I want to do this narrative right for the most courageous of individuals who are having to face the weight of this disease,” said Chris, the cast member who has been with Emmerdale the longest. Chris expressed his feeling of being “fortunate” to be offered the concept.
The 75-year-old actor is not only a cherished Emmerdale character, but he also has a personal connection to the program because he is wed to Lesley Dunlop, who portrays Brenda Walker in the soap opera.
How long have they been dating, and when did they tie the knot?
Lesley Dunlop and Chris Chittell met when?
Lesley, 67, and Chris became together when the actress joined the Emmerdale cast in 2008.
The actor has been playing Eric since 1986, and he attributes their reunion to the serial opera.
He said to the Daily Record in 2012, “Everyone believes the younger members of the cast have all the fun, but we more mature ones do, too.”
It was peculiar. Despite never having met before, we continued running into one other at work.
“I’m not even sure if I asked her out or she asked me, but she’s amazing and we’re really happy,”
Chris and Lesley got married when?
2015 saw the couple’s engagement, and 2016 saw their marriage.
The couple was married in front of family, friends, and co-stars from Emmerdale, including Nicola Wheeler, Bhasker Patel, and Sam Hall, in the seaside town of Coverack, Cornwall.
Lesley chose a cream dress with several layers of chiffon, a flowery headpiece, and Victorian-style lace ankle boots, while Chris donned a cream suit and blue shoes.
Although Chris has two children, Rebcca and Ben, from his first marriage to Caroline Hunt, which ended in 2005, the pair does not have children together.
Lesley’s marriage to musician and actor Christopher Guard produced two children, Daisy and Rose.
Even though the two are together on screen, fans also witnessed a brief soap opera romance between their characters in 2013, following Eric’s divorce from Val Pollard (Charlie Hardwick).
He ultimately got back together with Val, who passed away in the August 2015 helicopter tragedy, while Brenda started dating Tony Audenshaw’s character Bob Hope.
Despite the fact that Emmerdale plays a significant role in both of their lives, Chris has acknowledged that it’s the one topic they never talk about off set.
While some individuals may find collaboration to be a nightmare, we adore it. However, we make it a point to avoid discussing Emmerdale at home since it would be just too depressing.
On ITV, Emmerdale airs Monday through Friday at 7:30 p.m.