Complicated
Having discovered her triple-negative breast cancer has been caused by a faulty gene, Chas has decided to have a double mastectomy in a bid to save herself. But as the surgery looms, her loved ones start to fear she’s taking the daunting decision too lightly.
When Aaron realises his mum has only given herself a fortnight off work from the pub, he alerts her ex, Paddy, who promptly seeks out Chas.
Refusing to gloss over the rough road that lies ahead for the pint-puller, Paddy urges her to open up. Bit by bit, proud Chas, whose beloved mum Faith was killed by the same disease, allows herself to be vulnerable and comforted by Paddy as she admits how scared she is.
‘She’s OK on her own,’ says Lucy Pargeter, who plays the Dingle. ‘It’s only with these kind of big events that she realises she’s lonely. But she doesn’t need anybody – she just needs somebody.’ As the former husband and wife get swept up in a messy sea of complicated emotions, they find themselves kissing. But as Paddy is jolted back to reality – remembering it’s Mandy he’s with now, not Chas – he clumsily upsets his ex as he realises he’s made a huge mistake. But is Paddy being honest with himself… or is he trying to ignore his deep-rooted feelings for the woman who broke his heart when she had an affair?
While guilty Paddy’s quick to confess the kiss to Mandy, terrified Chas forgets all about it as she heads to hospital for the mastectomies. Waiting in the corridor for news on how the operations have gone, her brother Cain and son Aaron continue to inch closer towards healing their rift, realising that in the moment, they’re truly grateful for each other’s company.
Will Chas’ surgery go smoothly?