Emmerdale spoilers follow, while this article also includes discussion of sexual assault, which some readers might find upsetting.
Emmerdale star Rebecca Sarker has confirmed that her character, Manpreet Sharma, would be devastated if she were to discover the disturbing truth about her old colleague, Dr Caitlin Todd.
The villain's blackmail story took a horrific turn earlier this week when she sexually assaulted Charity Dingle. While Charity bravely reported her ordeal to the police, there wasn’t enough evidence against the doctor.
Related: Emmerdale sets up ticking time bomb as Kerry covers up huge scam
Dr Todd then pushed Charity to withdraw her complaint before leaving the village – but not before saying goodbye to several figures, including close friend and former colleague Manpreet.
Manpreet has been duped by Dr Todd, having no idea about her bullying of Jacob Sugden or Charity's shocking assault. In next week's scenes, Charity goes to Manpreet to seek help for her mental health, though she doesn't disclose why she's struggling.
What to Read Next
In an exclusive chat with us at Inside Soap, Rebecca reveals that her character would be blindsided to learn about the villain's heinous crimes, explaining: "Dr Todd was Manpreet's senior registrar when she was training to be a doctor, so there’s a real respect for her.
"She has noted a little bit of paranoia in her interactions with Jacob, but it's not sufficient enough to ring alarm bells. She knows that Dr Todd has gone through a divorce and is maybe a little hurt and damaged, but she thinks that she's a very talented physician."
"Little does she know how awful she's being. She would be horrified if the truth came out; it would absolutely shatter the illusion for her," adds the star, who began playing Manpreet in 2018.
While the character is unaware of her close friend's crimes, Rebecca tells us that she is keen for some romance to come Manpreet's way, though she is also rather fond of her character staying single for a bit longer…
Related: Emmerdale confirms key character's permanent exit in latest episode
"It would be nice for Manpreet to find love, not least because that would hopefully develop into a story for her," she says. "You look at couples with longevity, like Nicola and Jimmy or Cain and Moira, and they have shared quite a few life experiences together."
"At the same time, I love how free and unattached Manpreet is. It allows her to be quite unshackled by the chains of another relationship. But she can be a little bit lonely in that, so it's a bit of both really. I can see the virtue in both situations."
To read our full exclusive chat with Rebecca, pick up next week's issue of Inside Soap, available to buy from Tuesday 16 June.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Rape Crisis offers a range of support for women and girls who have experienced sexual abuse of any kind. Its free helpline can be contacted on 0808 802 9999 and the charity has websites available for readers in England & Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
