We’ve been bracing ourselves all week for the final moments of Emmerdale’s Ashley Thomas.
It’s going to be tough viewing, but one person who won’t be tuning in at 7pm this evening is actor John Middleton, who says he isn’t planning to watch the scenes again.
Read more: Ashley’s final moments revealed in Emmerdale
Ashley has been battling dementia and, earlier this week, we found out he’d contracted pneumonia and wasn’t going to survive.
Heartbroken Laurel brought her husband home to die surrounded by his friends and loved ones and tonight he will slip away peacefully, after remembering Laurel in a final lucid moment.
Actors John Middleton and Charlotte Bellamy, who play Ashley and Laurel, have spoken out over the course of the week about the heartbreaking scenes, and now they’ve been on This Morning to talk about them some more.
Sitting down with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, John confessed he won’t be watching the episode when it airs later.
“We’ve seen it twice already,” he revealed.
“I’ll be having dinner with my sister. I don’t think I want to watch myself die again!”
John also added that he’s keen to play a villain in his next role, having played vicar Ashley for over 20 years.
Charlotte opened up about what’s next for Laurel, explaining: “She has a young family so the children will give her the strength to carry on.”
But speaking about her character’s past struggles with alcohol and whether they will resurface, she revealed:
“Under the pressure of grief and keeping it all together, that will always be sitting on her shoulder.”
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Host Ruth, who has spoken many times over the pain of losing her own father to dementia, thanked them for the way they portrayed the illness. She welled up as a clip was shown from tonight’s episode.
John was visibly touched as she told them they’d done the families of sufferers proud. He said that was high praise and “tremendously flattering” for them all.