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Grace "Gracie" Dingle was the daughter of Chas Dingle and Paddy Kirk. She lived for only twenty-nine minutes.

Biography[]

2018: Pregnancy and diagnosis[]

Chas discovered she was pregnant in February 2018 after forgetting to get her contraceptive injection. Initially, Chas intended to have an abortion but couldn't go through with it so she and Paddy continued with the pregnancy and soon nicknamed their baby "Margarita".

Chas attended her twenty-week scan alone due to a mix-up with the dates. At the scan, Chas was delighted to learn she was having a little girl but her joy soon turned to fear when the sonographer noticed something concerning on the scan. Consultant Dr Hamley took a look at the ultrasound and diagnosed Chas' unborn daughter with Bilateral Renal Agenesis - when both kidneys and bladder fail to develop. Dr Hamley sympathetically explained to Chas that if the diagnosis was confirmed, her unborn daughter would not survive. Chas kept the devastating diagnosis to herself.

Believing everything was fine, Paddy started decorating the nursery whilst Chas' mum Faith arranged a baby shower. During the baby shower, Paddy's best friend, Marlon Dingle, found Chas crying in the nursery clinging to a baby blanket that once belonged to Paddy. Marlon sent Paddy up to see Chas and through her tears, Chas confessed to Paddy that their baby girl wasn't going to survive.

Chas and Paddy sought a second opinion but Dr Todd confirmed the diagnosis of Bilateral Renal Agenesis. Paddy believed they should consider terminating the pregnancy as the baby would only life for a few hours after birth at most but Chas refused to give up hope of a miracle. Chas began to accept having a termination may be for the best, but when she felt her unborn daughter kick, she realised she couldn't go through with it.

Chas and Paddy began making preparations for their daughter's birth and asked Marlon and Liv Flaherty to be the baby's Godparents. They also agreed to donate their daughter's organs and decided to name her "Grace".

2018: Short life and death[]

Grace flashforward

Grace, as seen in Paddy's imagination, as a baby, a toddler, a young child and then an older child.

Chas went into labour on her son Aaron and his fiancé Robert's stag night and gave birth to Grace in Hotten General Hospital. Whilst laying on the hospital bed, Paddy and Chas began imagining how each stage of Grace's life would have played out if she had survived - going for walks in the woods, riding bikes and visiting Chas and Paddy's special place, and showing her a carving in the tree that Chas and Paddy did before Grace was born. Paddy would constantly sing a version of "Wheels on the Bus" which he changed up the lyrics for, which would always embarrass Grace. However, Grace passed away in hospital, and Chas held Grace in her arms whilst she and Paddy said goodbye.

Grace's funeral took place on 25th October in St. Mary's Church. She is buried next to her aunt Gennie Walker in the Emmerdale Cemetery.

Background information[]

  • Grace was played by six actors, all uncredited (three babies, one toddler, one child and one teen).
  • Grace was the second character in Emmerdale to have both an on-screen birth and an on-screen death with the other characters being Daniel Thomas and Heath Hope.
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