Emmerdale viewers were devastated during Tuesday’s episode to see Paddy Kirk’s deteriorating mental health after he made a surprise return to the village after being missing for three weeks.
The character, played by Dominic Brunt, appeared unexpectedly at The Woolpack pub, leaving his friends stunned.
The lovable Paddy has been in pain ever since his marriage broke up when he found out his wife Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) had been cheating on him with Al Chapman, who was played by Michael Wildman until the character’s death in October.
Paddy has also started making some unusually careless mistakes during his job as a vet.
And distraught viewers were upset to see that Paddy wasn’t his usual self when he returned, with many taking to Twitter to express their feelings.
Sad scenes: Emmerdale viewers were devastated during Tuesday’s episode to see Paddy Kirk’s mental health deteriorate after he made a surprise return to the village.
Back Home: The character, played by Dominic Brunt, unexpectedly turned up at The Woolpack pub after going missing for three weeks, leaving his friends stunned.
One excited viewer wrote: ‘Paddy! he looks so broken.
Making a desperate plea, one viewer wrote: “Dad you need to open up to your family.”
While someone else pointed out, “Paddy still isn’t acting his usual self.”
Expecting the worst to come, someone wrote: ‘Paddy came back to say goodbye’.
While another viewer added: “Paddy knows something we don’t.”
Another person posted: ‘Paddy is acting’.
It comes after it emerged that Paddy will consider taking his own life in heartbreaking scenes next month.
He will begin to have suicidal thoughts after an accumulation of isolation, pain and confusion, and that will lead him to say goodbye to his friends in March as his deep depression intensifies.
Trouble: Lovable Paddy has been on the rocks ever since his marriage broke up when he found out his wife Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) had been cheating on him with Al Chapman.
Not like him: Paddy also started making some unusually careless mistakes during his job as a vet.
Dominic said: “It is a great honor and a great responsibility to portray this story.
‘It’s an inherent problem in today’s society that most men don’t talk enough about their problems. We suppress them, we don’t want to upset anyone, we are ashamed, we feel that we must be strong and not show weakness.
‘If this story can shed light on the subject or make even a small change in someone’s perspective or point of view, then it will have been worth it.
“It’s also a privilege to work alongside The Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club to highlight this issue.”
Earlier this month, viewers watched Paddy suddenly leave the village without telling his friends or family.
While he was soon found staying at a local guest house, it was clear he was struggling with his mental health and didn’t plan on reconnecting with loved ones for some time.
Upset: Distraught viewers were upset to see Paddy not his usual self when he returned, with many taking to Twitter to express their feelings.
In March, Paddy will return to the village and say goodbye to his friends, before leaving again with the goal of ending his own life.
Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said: “As soon as we started discussing this story, we knew it was vital for us to get it right and we needed to open up the conversation about male depression and suicide.”
Paddy is usually very carefree in life, always joking and laughing, but what we see is that recent events have really taken their toll.
“Even though he is popular and has many friends and family around him, Paddy begins to feel more and more alone, isolated and overwhelmed by his feelings and this leads him to have very dark thoughts.
“We have worked very closely with Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club every step of the way throughout this story and their incredible support and knowledge has helped us make Paddy’s journey a true reflection of what thousands of men sadly go through. every year”.
Lorna Fraser, chief executive of Samaritans Media Advisory Service, said: “Paddy’s story creates an opportunity to show others, particularly middle-aged men, as difficult as times can be, it’s always possible to get help and get ahead, and eventually recover. .
Heartbreaking: It comes after it emerged that Paddy will consider taking his own life in heartbreaking scenes next month.
“Depression and suicide are extremely serious subjects, so we are pleased to have seen the producers work so hard to make sure this story is told well.
“We encourage anyone touched by this story to reach out to Samaritans, our amazing volunteers are always here to listen, day and night.”
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 7:30pm on ITV1.
For help call Samaritans toll free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org
Shock: Paddy’s loved ones were saddened to see Paddy’s condition when he returned to the village after going missing