DON’T DIE DADDY!

April is distraught when her dad has a stroke. Emmerdale’s Mark Charnock on Marlon’s terror, and his fight for survival

Marlon’s world is turned upside down in Emmerdale this week when he has a stroke that leaves him unable to speak and incapacitated. While collecting the ring to seal his engagement to Rhona, the chef’s vision becomes impaired and he keels over. When a horrified April discovers her dad, she calls an ambulance (pictured, inset), and he undergoes emergency surgery.

Marlon survives but it’s the start of a long road to recovery. ‘When he has the stroke he feels pure terror,’ says Mark Charnock, who plays him. ‘One minute he’s full of joy and love, the next it’s like he’s been hit by a truck. It’ll be a long slog back for Marlon, who can’t work and feels he can’t be the dad he wants to be. He’s reliant on other people. It’ll change him forever.’

The devastating blow comes after a joyous occasion when Rhona and Marlon, having overcome numerous hurdles together, pop the question to each other simultaneously. But when Marlon nips home to get the ring, he has his strange turn. ‘Everything slows down,’ says Mark, whose determination to give a realistic performance led him to work with the Stroke Association and survivors of strokes – most of which are caused by a clot cutting off the blood supply to part of the brain. ‘He’s aware something’s wrong. He sees his face has drooped before he collapses, frozen.’

As Marlon clings to consciousness, he desperately tries to remember the acronym F.A.S.T. (Facial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech problems, Time to call 999). ‘He hears a voice in another part of his brain trying to rationalise what’s happening, which sometimes occurs when people have strokes,’ says Mark. Whisked into surgery, Marlon has a thrombectomy,

when a special device is inserted to pull out the clot to restore blood flow. ‘They must do it quickly, as the first four hours are key,’ says Mark, 53.

Although Marlon requires intense rehabilitation, he’ll be aided by family and friends, an aspect Mark is relishing. ‘This will change Marlon but that doesn’t mean in a bad way. It gives him more facets for me to play. And because of Rhona and Paddy being supportive, there will be fun scenes.’

Mark hopes the plot will raise awareness about strokes, the fourth

single biggest cause of death in the UK. ‘It should help viewers understand they may not get symptoms before strokes happen, and that making small changes such as eating more healthily, being mindful of physical and mental wellbeing, and getting frequent blood pressure checks can have a significant impact on the numbers who go through this.’