Elsa Chappell (née Feldmann) the daughter of Elizabeth Pollard and sister of Michael Feldmann.
Storylines[]
Elsa first appeared in 1990 with her mother Elizabeth and brother Michael after they were evicted from their house by Frank Tate. Elsa soon began a relationship with Nick Bates, and things moved quickly when Elsa discovered she was pregnant. The pair planned to marry but, on the day of the wedding, Elsa went into labour, with Zoe Tate forced to deliver baby Alice at Mill Cottage. Nick adapted quickly to being a parent, unlike Elsa, who soon grew bored of living in the village with Nick and Alice. Wanting to explore life away from Beckindale, Elsa took a job in Leeds and initially took Alice with her, leaving a heartbroken Nick behind. However, Elsa struggled to cope alone with Alice and returned her to Nick, telling him that their daughter prevented her from having a social life. Elsa continued to see Alice occasionally over the months that followed, however, she eventually decided that the visits were causing too much upset to Alice and told Nick she would see her again when she was older.
In November 1993, Elsa returned to the village, hoping to reconnect with Alice, however, she was heartbroken when Alice failed to recognize her. Despite this setback, Elsa vowed to be a proper mother to Alice, unsettling Nick. A few weeks later, the village was devastated when a plane crashed, resulting in Nick being seriously injured and Elizabeth being killed. As Nick recovered in hospital, Alice went to stay with Elsa, who enjoyed having her around so much that she announced her intentions to fight Nick for custody. Things soon turned nasty as Elsa latched onto anything she could in an attempt to prove Nick's unsuitability as a Father, including spreading rumors that Nick and his recently deceased friend, Archie Brooks, had been lovers, and exaggerating situations where Alice was in danger. Unfortunately for Elsa, the court didn't agree, and Nick kept custody, with the judge seeing no reason to uproot Alice from all she knew. Elsa was left heartbroken by the decision and, unable to give Alice up, attempted to flee the country with her. However, Alice missed her dad and Elsa, realizing how selfish she was being, returned her to Nick, acknowledging in the process that he was the best person to care for Alice. Elsa then returned to Leeds.
In April 1996, Nick was sent to prison for accidentally shooting and killing a poacher. Alice went to stay with Nick's sister, Kathy, who soon decided that she wasn't cut out for raising a small child and tried to contact Elsa. However, after trying and failing to find Elsa in Leeds, and with no means of tracking her down, Kathy decided to take Alice in permanently. A couple of weeks later, Elsa got in touch to reveal that she was now living in Australia and was happy for Alice to remain in the village.
Nothing more was heard from Elsa until September 1999, when she returned to the village. Whilst living in Australia, Elsa had married a man named Brett, who had a son around Alice's age, and, now that she felt better able to provide a stable family life, she wanted to take Alice to Australia. Kathy, who had grown very attached to her niece, was distraught by the prospect of losing Alice and told Elsa that she was willing to fight her for custody. Frequent rows erupted between Kathy and Elsa, upsetting Alice, who even briefly decided that she didn't want to see Elsa due to all the upset her arrival had caused Kathy. However, Alan Turner convinced Alice that one day she would regret turning her back on Elsa, and Alice told Kathy that she would like to see her mother. More arguments between Elsa and Kathy followed, however, the time soon came for Elsa to return to Australia. Alice was heartbroken at the prospect of once again being separated from her Mother, causing Kathy to agree that Alice should leave the village with Elsa.
In November 2001, Elsa invited Kathy to visit Alice in Sydney, however, when Kathy arrived, she didn't like the situation she found. Elsa and Brett's constant arguing was upsetting Alice, and Kathy brought her niece back to the UK without Elsa's knowledge. Elsa soon tracked the pair down, and Alice was once again caught up in a row over where she should live; with Elsa determined to take her back to Australia and Kathy wanting her to remain in Emmerdale. After Elsa and Brett promised to start putting Alice first and to reign in their arguing, Alice agreed to return home but suggested that Kathy should move with her. Kathy initially insisted that the idea was impractical, but after talking it through with Elsa, who agreed that it sounded like a good compromise, decided to emigrate. Elsa and Alice left the village for the final time on 12th December 2001.
Quotes[]
"Oh alright. So what's the latest? Any juicy news?" - First line.
"Always. See you soon." - Final line, to Kathy Glover.
See also[]
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