On the run!
Rhona vanishes with the baby when Gus tells her he’s moving Ivy to France
Rhona Dingle’s life was blown apart when she learnt her ex Gus had used their embryos to conceive a child with his new wife.
Lucy died in childbirth and as Gus’ dream to become a dad turned into a nightmare, Rhona was magnetically drawn to the child that has half of her DNA.
Having since spent bags of time with Ivy, playing mum while Gus tried to pull himself together, Rhona’s become utterly attached, even referring to the tot as ‘hers’. The rest of the clan at Smithy are besotted, too, but their feelings are no match for the maternal pull that has Rhona in its grip.
Having had to hand her back to Gus last week, Rhona’s praying he’ll be overwhelmed and instead learns the novice dad is not only coping but is taking Ivy home full-time.
The separation has already been killing Rhona whose pain turns to agony when Gus turns down Marlon’s co-parenting suggestion and reveals they’re moving to France where Lucy’s parents live in a big house.
‘Rhona thought it would be more baby steps. The thought of being without her even for a night is overwhelming,’ says Zoë Henry, who plays the vet.
As Rhona breaks into tiny pieces, she just can’t help herself when Gus offers them a last overnight stay with Ivy.
Seizing her chance, the desperate mum vanishes into thin air with the baby, leaving her husband Marlon and mum Mary absolutely frantic…
‘It’s spur of the moment and comes organically,’ explains Zoë. ‘She has a heart-to-heart with Charity who says, “I’m sick of men doing what they want, getting their own way all the time, what about you and your rights?” It fires something up in Rhona. It’s the first time someone has come at it from her point of view. Marlon supports her and loves her, but isn’t rallying for her like Charity does. It’s a moment of madness – it’s that primal instinct of, “I can’t be separated from her.”’
Can Rhona’s loved ones find the pair and get them home before Gus finds out?