EMMERDALE is lining up a harrowing suicide storyline for troubled Paddy Kirk.
The vet – who is played by actor Dominic Brunt in the ITV soap – has been struggling since wife Chas Dingle cheated on him and destroyed their marriage.
Paddy will begin to have suicidal thoughts in Emmerdale next month
Viewers have seen hints in recent weeks as Paddy has isolated himself from friends and family.
And now the ITV soap has announced that next month Paddy will consider taking his own life.
Feeling alone and struggling to find his place in people’s lives, Paddy will begin having suicidal thoughts and as he contends with these, the audience will see the true extent of Paddy’s deep depression.
Tonight Paddy will suddenly decide to leave the village, walking out without telling his friends and family.
Although Paddy 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 return to his village, when completely unbeknownst to his close friends he will say some veiled goodbyes before leaving again with the aim of ending his own life.
Emmerdale programme researchers and writers have worked closely with both Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club in order to tell Paddy’s story as authentically as possible.
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.”
Actor Dominic Brunt 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.”
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.”
Neil Waine from Andy’s Man Club commented: “ANDYSMANCLUB are a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across well over 100 venues in the United Kingdom and online.
“We want to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and help men through the power of conversation and we are absolutely delighted that ITV and Emmerdale are tackling this vitally important subject and helping raise awareness that #ITSOKAYTOTALK.”
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