Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale has announced that a much-loved character will take centre stage in a long-running new health storyline.
Show bosses have refused to give away the villager's identity at this stage, but the plot is expected to begin airing in the coming months.
Emmerdale's producer Laura Shaw (pictured below) shared the first details of the storyline at a press event for the soap this week.
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Speaking to Digital Spy and other media, Shaw commented: "We've got a big health storyline coming up that involves one of our most loved, well-known characters.
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"I can't say at this stage who it is, but it's definitely going to have a huge impact on their life and all the people around them.
"We're working closely with an amazing charity, who have been guiding us every step of the way."
The show's team have been inspired by the success of Ashley Thomas' dementia storyline, which ran for nearly two years after his diagnosis in October 2015.
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That plot went on to sweep the board at the British Soap Awards 2017 following Ashley's death.
Shaw added: "It's going to be quite a long storyline. It's going to run over a period of months, years.
"Think along the lines of Ashley's dementia storyline – it's going to be like that."
Check out more of our Emmerdale coverage:
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Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
