Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) will get the surprise news next week that she's pregnant. But rather than celebrating the prospect of another child, Laurel is immediately worried about how she'd be able to cope with both a newborn and a deteriorating Ashley.
Ashley, of course, has early onset dementia and the thought of dealing with his care as well as the demands of a baby proves too much. Scenes to be shown on Wednesday will see Laurel tell Ashley that she wants a termination, despite an abortion being against everything they believe in.
"Getting pregnant was the last thing Laurel thought was going to happen," says Charlotte Bellamy. "And she knows that it's going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back. She's not going to be able to cope with a newborn abby and Ashley's illness. So Laurel feels that she has to have a termination, even though it's against everything she stands for. Ashley certainly doesn't agree with abortion either, but Laurel has to make that decision."
You can watch the clip from Wednesday's episode below. And beneath that, there's a 60-second rundown of all next week's drama on Emmerdale.
And visit our dedicated Emmerdale page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
