BABY Ivy was born in the midst of tragedy as her mother Lucy passed away in childbirth – and Rhona Goskirk feels a strong pull.
The Emmerdale favourite acts out of character this week and her marriage could crumble as a result. Get the lowdown.
Rhona Goskirk (played by Zoë Henry) struggles to fight off her maternal instinct this week.
Gus Malcolms (Alan McKenna) did the unthinkable earlier this year, betraying Rhona’s trust in him and using her embryos.
Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) was the first to figure out what Gus had done after bumping into him and his pregnant wife Lucy in hospital.
Like many secrets in the ITV soap, Gus and Lucy’s was eventually uncovered and Rhona sought legal advice before heading over to confront the couple.
This ultimately led her to hospital when a heavily pregnant Lucy’s waters broke.
The ordeal ended in the birth of a baby girl named Ivy but, unfortunately, it was also closed with the simultaneous death of Lucy.
Since then, Gus’ bittersweet introduction to fatherhood has continued with Rhona’s support but the village vet has been experiencing conflicting feelings as she’s increasingly drawn to baby Ivy.
Coming up, at the Hospital, Rhona watches from her car as Gus exits the hospital.
However, her behaviour soon raises suspicion with her husband Marlon and her mother Mary Goskirk (Louise Jameson).
Soon Mary’s shocked to learn Rhona has secretly been seeing Ivy at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Rhona covertly makes her way through the hospital, trying to get to Ivy.
She quickly hides as overwhelmed Gus arrives but he is shocked to find Rhona and Mary in the hospital.
Fans have grown increasingly concerned for Rhona as they’ve theorised she could spiral further during her visits to the baby she never knew she wanted.
As a result, many have become convinced that she would go as far as to kidnap baby Ivy to raise herself, claiming rights over Gus, despite the new-born being legally his.
But there’s another risk ahead for Rhona if her behaviour continues to get out of hand.
In scenes airing this week, Rhona crumbles under her husband Marlon’s questioning, and a pointed look from Mary forces her to admit she’s been seeing Ivy in hospital.
The next day, Rhona’s guilty to know she’s pushing her luck as she plans to take supplies round to Gus.
Later, Rhona and an uneasy Mary walk towards Gus’s front door and he stares at them, shattered and completely unimpressed.
An encouraged Rhona wastes no time stepping inside when an overwhelmed Gus agrees to their help.
However, when exhausted Gus falls asleep, Rhona takes the opportunity to cradle a sleeping Ivy.
Mary’s alarmed to see Rhona holding sleeping Ivy and Gus is furious when he wakes up.
As mentioned above, baby Ivy could be at the core of a kidnapping storyline which would see Rhona spiral out of control and maybe even away from the village.
And what better way for her to leave the Dales with Ivy if Marlon was to call time on their marriage?
Marlon has been recovering from his stroke, which took place in early 2022, and the stress of Rhona’s frozen embryos ordeal could be too much for him to handle.
Could Marlon decide to take a step back from Rhona altogether?
Everything you need to know about Emmerdale
Viewers were shocked when Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) admitted he was harbouring romantic feelings for Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) in previous scenes of the long-running program.
The pair lived as stepmother and stepson during Victoria’s relationship with Jacob’s father David Metcalfe and share a nine-year age gap.
To make matters worse, the shopkeeper was hoping to get things back on track with Victoria, convinced they belonged together despite their many ups and downs and, most importantly, their breakup.
Unfortunately, in recent scenes of the Yorkshire-based drama, David had a rude awakening as he caught Victoria and Jacob in an embrace.
Heartbroken, feeling betrayed after initially speculating that Jacob had moved on from his relationship with the late Leanna Cavanagh with Gabby Thomas, David packed up his things and waved goodbye to the Dales.
Despite his departure, life goes on in the eponymous village with Victoria and Jacob trying to figure out what they should do about their relationship.
Speculation is rife around Jacob’s mystery lady, particularly as his mother Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) has been determined to find out who he has been spending time with.
This week, Victoria is adamant on maintaining the secrecy surrounding their romance as she’s unable to resist the chemistry between her and Jacob.
But he’s delighted when he manages to convince Victoria that things will be easier if they stop keeping their relationship under wraps.
Leyla previously had a bone to pick with Victoria when a meal she made at The Hide contained nuts, causing Jacob to have a severe allergic reaction before being rushed to hospital.
To top it all off, she is known to be very protective of her son Jacob, prompting many soap fans to wonder if the wedding planner could lash out against Victoria after finding out about their relationship.
Could Leyla do everything she can to break them up?
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.
