EMMERDALE SPOILERS! Death in the Dales
Ready the tissues! He captured our hearts as the loveable Emmerdale vicar with a tendency to dress up as a pirate, but fan favourite Ashley Thomas is set to meet his maker in emotional farewell scenes which will see him lose his battle with early onset vascular dementia.
Over the past year, we’ve watched Ashley’s health decline in a series of particularly touching scenes, including a special one-off episode in which we saw through the eyes of a confused Ashley struggling to go about his everyday life.
Photo by ITV/REX/Shutterstock
In the forthcoming final episode, viewers will see Ashley rushed to hospital, coughing up blood. With Ashley’s condition continuing to deteriorate, resilient wife Laurel Potts and daughter Gabby Thomas must face one last, devastating blow as they realise they are losing him. Laurel will then make the brave decision to bring Ashley home to die, surrounded by his loved ones.
Fans and critics have been quick to praise long-serving actor John Middleton for his sensitive and moving portrayal of Ashley’s tragic storyline:
@emmerdale you have done yourselves proud with the Ashley dementia storyline!👌❤
— Anna Johns (@annajohnsy1) March 30, 2017
nah man ashley IS emmerdale😢 he’s been there since before i was even conceived. i just can’t watch him die .
— nicole (@explicitdingle) March 30, 2017
Its gonna be sad when Ashley goes 🙁 #Emmerdale
— Mrs Amy Dixon (@Marriedrobron) March 20, 2017
John, 63, who has played the kind-hearted vicar since 1996, described filming Ashley’s final scenes as a “hard” experience, but an important one in raising issues of mental health:
“My hope is that Emmerdale has at least been able to embed the issue of dementia into the public’s consciousness. We’re all guilty of looking the other way, but we ignore this at our cost. It could well happen to each and every one of us.”
Ashley’s passing will affect the whole village, but the question on everyone’s lips is – how will widow Laurel cope with losing her beloved husband? With past storylines depicting her battle to overcome alcohol addiction, could Laurel’s grief drive her to seek comfort in the arms of her liquid love once more?
All we know is the loss of an Emmerdale legend means there won’t be a dry eye in the nation. Ashley Thomas, you will be missed.
Sniff. Who’s chopping onions?
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