Emmerdale star Kevin Mathurin has responded to the show’s latest tragic storyline twist.
Kevin’s character Charles Anderson was left devastated in Tuesday’s episode as his beloved son Ethan suddenly passed away.
In emotional scenes, Charles helped Ethan to prepare for court, where he was due to face a sentencing hearing. Ethan knew that he was likely to be jailed over the recent car crash that left Nicky Miligan in a coma.
Charles popped out of the room for a moment to iron his suit for court. When he returned to the living room, Ethan had collapsed to the floor.
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Charles and his partner Manpreet Sharma both struggled to resuscitate Ethan at home and he was soon rushed to hospital. The couple later returned to the village with the shocking news that Ethan had died.
In the closing moments of the episode, Charles realised that the tragedy must have been connected to Ethan’s recent hit and run injuries.
Nicky’s vengeful mum Ruby deliberately knocked Ethan over last week. Ethan refused to get checked over in hospital at the time, and he also protected Ruby by deciding not to name her as his attacker.
Speaking about the heartbreaking story, Kevin commented: “Charles has lost his one and only constant – his son, who has been in his life throughout when other members of the family have came and went.
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“Ethan has always been there, but now Charles has to deal with a life without him. It’s going to hit the hardest for him, because Charles raised Ethan on his own and they’ve always been together. They’ve been the core unit of the Anderson family.
“For Ethan to be gone, it’s going to be devastating for Charles to deal with.”
Paying tribute to his co-star Emile John, who played Ethan, Kevin continued: “It was devastating to know that Emile was leaving. We joined the show together and we bonded straight away. He’s been amazing playing my son and he’s a good mate, a brother, and we’ve had some great moments and laughs and tears together.
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“We’ve had an amazing journey and it’s just going to be so weird not having him sitting next to me in the dressing room, belly-laughing!
“He’s an amazing energy to have on set and he’s a brilliant actor. The future is very bright for this talented guy, so I wish him all the best.”
Emile joined the cast of Emmerdale in 2021. His departure from the show was kept under wraps by producers so viewers would be surprised by the storyline twist.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
