Chas Dingle in Emmerdale is one of the show’s most iconic characters and she has been through a LOT in her time on the show.
She’s been accused of murder, lost her baby Grace, helped son Aaron through facing his abuser in court, she’s been married and divorced more than once, been cheated on, and done the cheating – and even missed her mum Faith’s death because she was with her secret lover, Al Chapman.
Phew. That’s more than enough for one woman!
But now Chas is facing a breast cancer diagnosis. What’s next for the single mum?
Who is Chas Dingle?
Part of the legendary Dingle family, she has been at the heart of many of the soap’s most dramatic stories.
Chas is the daughter of Faith and Shadrach Dingle, and Cain Dingle‘s half-sister. She also had a half-sister called Genesis – known as Gennie.
So who is she, how many times has she been married, and who was her daughter, Grace?
Who plays Chas Dingle in Emmerdale?
Chas is played by Lucy Pargeter, who has been in the role for more than 20 years.
Prior to Emmerdale, Lucy was in a band called Paperdolls, who toured with Boyzone.
Her acting career has seen her have a part in the rebooted Crossroads, as well as roles in Soldier Soldier, and Dalziel and Pascoe.
She has also taken part in various reality TV shows, including Soapstar Superstar in 2006, where she finished in third place.
In 2013 she flew to Australia to take part in I’m A Celebrity and ended up in third place again behind David Emanuel and winner Kian Egan.
How old is Chas Dingle and what is her real name?
Chas was born on 23 February 1978 meaning her 46th birthday is just around the corner.
When Chas first arrived in Emmerdale she was 24 years old.
In real life, actress Lucy was born in March 1977 and was 25 when she first appeared in the soap.
The name Chas is short for Chastity. She arrived in Emmerdale in October 2002 dressed as a nun.
She’d been hired as a stripper by her dad, for cousin Marlon’s stag do – slightly odd, even for the Dingle family!
Chas had been married to her teenage sweetheart Gordon Livesy and had a son, Aaron. But she’d allowed Gordon custody and Aaron resented his mum for it.
Chas Dingle in Emmerdale and Carl King
She settled into the village and got together with Carl King.
The pair had a very rocky relationship, and eventually Chas was heartbroken when she discovered Carl was cheating on her with Eve Jenson.
But on the advice of cousin Charity, Chas went along with her wedding plans – pocketing all the cash Carl coughed up for the arrangements. She humiliated Carl by jilting him at the altar.
Did Chas murder Carl King?
That wasn’t the end of Chas’s dealings with Carl King, though.
In 2012, Chas – who’d bought into the Woolpack with the money she’d taken from Carl to pay for their fake wedding – began an affair with Debbie Dingle‘s boyfriend Cameron Murray.
They couldn’t keep away from each other, despite Chas trying to distract herself by getting together with Dan Spencer and proposing to him after just a few dates.
Carl found out about Chas and Cameron and blackmailed Chas into giving his money back. But when she went to hand over the money, he confessed he still loved her.
Chas went ahead with marrying Dan, but she decided to run away on their wedding day. As she got ready to leave, Carl appeared.
He tried to rape poor Chas and she whacked him over the head with a brick in a panic.
Carl died – though not because of Chas.
He was actually a victim of Emmerdale serial killer Cameron. Chas thought she’d killed Carl and stood trial for his murder. But Chas was found not guilty and returned to the village.
The Woolpack siege
Killer Cameron was on the rampage through the village, but Chas – who was now in a relationship with the Dales murderer – was unaware. And she was also in the dark that he was now cheating on her with Debbie.
Cameron killed Chas’s half-sister Gennie, who’d found out the truth about his murderous instincts, and then in some of the most dramatic scenes in Emmerdale ever, took the customers at the Woolpack hostage.
Chas and Debbie ended up trapped in the flooded cellar of the pub, in the dark, not knowing where Cameron was lurking.
But thankfully they both escaped with their lives, while Mr Murray was electrocuted.
Chas Dingle in Emmerdale’s relationship with son Aaron
Chas wasn’t the best mum when she first arrived in Emmerdale.
Her relationship with Aaron was rocky to say the least and when the teenager came to visit, he was always in trouble and causing problems for his mum.
But the pair eventually got back on track and Chas supported her son through his acceptance of his sexuality and the death of his boyfriend, Jackson.
In 2016, Chas was heartbroken when Aaron revealed he’d been raped by his dad Gordon.
Furious with her ex, Chas confronted Gordon who at first tried to make out that Aaron had been abused by someone else. But eventually, he confessed, leaving Chas devastated.
Chas stood by Aaron in court, as he faced Gordon, and gave evidence herself. Gordon was found guilty and later died in prison, and Aaron changed his surname to Dingle.
Chas and Paddy’s daughter, Grace
Way back when Chas first came to Emmerdale, she and Paddy fell in love. But Chas cheated on him with Carl King and they eventually split up.
But in 2017, Chas and Paddy got back together and this time it seemed to be for keeps. They were delighted when Chas found out she was unexpectedly pregnant.
But their happiness was short-lived. They found out their baby girl was suffering from a condition called bilateral renal agenesis where her kidneys didn’t develop, and wouldn’t survive for long after birth.
In heartbreaking scenes, Chas gave birth to little Grace and she and Paddy said goodbye to their baby girl.
Just over a year later, Chas gave birth to another girl – Eve – who is now five years old.
Who is Chas married to in Emmerdale?
At Christmas 2020, Chas was surprised when Paddy announced he had planned a wedding. Poor Paddy had pulled out all the stops for a festive ceremony but had forgotten to invite any guests!
And when he heard Chas ranting about Christmas weddings, he decided to cancel.
Luckily, Chas got wind of the plans and in the end it was Paddy who was surprised by the wedding!
And the icing on the wedding cake for the cute couple was when Paddy announced he’d be taking Chas’s name and they were now Mr and Mrs Dingle!
Losing the Woolpack
Chas has faced a tough time recently after being forced to sell her beloved pub.
Chas took over as landlady in 2012 and after 10 years at the helm, with various co-owners including Diane Sugden and Charity Dingle, Al Chapman bought shares.
He insisted his intentions were honourable and he wanted to help restore the Woolpack to its former glory, however, he was lying through his teeth.
It soon became clear he wanted to bulldoze the pub and turn it into luxury flats with the help of his dodgy business partner, Gavin.
But the plan failed and Al blew the pub up on Christmas Day 2021.
With the insurance refusing to pay out, Chas was left with no choice but to sell her boozer and earlier this month Charity and Ryan were revealed as the new owners.
Chas’s affair with Al Chapman and Faith’s cancer
Chas was devastated to learn her mother Faith’s cancer had returned and was terminal.
Chas ended up confiding in Al Chapman, despite his bad past with the Dingle family.
Soon the two shared a kiss and began an affair.
Aaron ended up finding out about the affair and told her to make a choice – him or Al.
Chas led Aaron to believe she ended things with Al, but when she was away with Al at a spa hotel, Faith made the decision to end her own life.
Chas blamed Al for missing her mother’s death and tried to end things with him.
However when she became injured in the 50th anniversary storm, Al was the one who took her to hospital.
The truth is out
Since then the truth has come out about Chas and Al’s sleazy hook-up – ending Chas’s marraige to Paddy. And her actions came close to blowing the whole Dingle family apart when Cain tried to get rid of Al, only for his son Kyle to shoot him!
Cain took the blame for Kyle’s actions at first, but eventually the young lad faced justice – and was relieved to be allowed home when the case was dropped and Al’s death was ruled accidental.
But despite a positive outcome, the Dingle family were still badly affected. Aaron blamed Chas for his sister Liv Flaherty’s death in the storm, and Paddy struggled with the aftermath of the divorce.
What’s next?
Finally, Chas seems to be getting on with her life – Aaron’s back and the pair are talking, she and Paddy have reached a good point in their co-parenting journey, and she’s even got the hint of a new romance with Liam Cavanagh.
BUT in true Emmerdale fashion, this is when things fall apart! And Chas will soon be devastated by a breast cancer diagnosis.
How will she cope?
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2024?
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
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