Emmerdale comp image: Chas Dingle and Diane Sugden (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock/Comp ED!)
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Emmerdale: Chas once had PTSD and stabbed Diane Sugden – here’s what happened

As Charity Dingle struggles with the same condition, Chas really can relate

As Charity Dingle struggles to cope with her PTSD in Emmerdale, she is comforted by Chas who reveals she knows what Charity is going through. Although Charity dismisses her, in fact, Chas is not lying.

But Charity – and Emmerdale – seems to have forgotten Chas has been exactly where Charity is!

She too suffered from PTSD. And she too starting struggling with her sleep. And she too stabbed someone while not thinking straight.

Exact same, exact same.

So what happened when Chas stabbed Diane Sugden?

Emmerdale Chas holds a knife after Diane is stabbed
Chas was diagnosed with PTSD after stabbing Diane (Credit: ITV)

Chas stabbed Diane Sugden in Emmerdale

It was 2015 and a fatal helicopter crash had just hit the village. Although Chas was relatively unscathed, she was upset because it was all caused by Chrissie White, who found out Chas’s son, Aaron was having an affair with her husband Robert.

When Robert and Chas had an argument about it, Robert was suddenly shot. Chas was traumatised at having witnessed the shooting, although Robert did survive. However, Chas herself came under suspicion.

Then a break-in at the pub saw co-landlady Diane think Chas was responsible for smashing glasses. Chas denied it and the pair fell out.

Strange things continued to occur around the Woolpack. Chas’s clothes were strewn around the floor, the taps were turned on in the night and someone was in the pub cellar.

Chas’s love rival at the time, Emma Barton, locked her in the pub with poisonous gas being released from a beer pump. Chas fell and hit her head becoming unconscious.

She was rescued, but everything was getting to be too much and she believed she had a stalker.

However, it was soon revealed Chas was behind everything, having been sleepwalking.

Things came to a head when Diane returned from a night out with her family and Chas thought it was an intruder. She grabbed a knife for protection and stabbed Diane in the bar.

Chas Dingle looks horrified after stabbing Diane Sugden
Chas’s mental health deteriorated after the stabbing (Credit: ITV)

Chas diagnosed with PTSD

Things got worse for Chas. She handed herself into the police after hearing ex Cameron’s voice telling her to. Cameron had held her hostage in the Woolpack siege previously and had also been responsible for killing her sister Gennie and her former lover Carl King, but letting Chas take the blame.

Chas started to hallucinate Robert and Diane, imagining them bleeding and dying in front of her. Then Cameron’s voice haunted her again and she saw Robert pinning her down saying the same things Carl did the night he tried to attack her.

Chas was eventually found and diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after Cameron’s reign of terror. Robert being shot was said to be the trigger for her illness, which she’d buried deep down.

One good thing that came out of the stabbing was Diane‘s stomach cancer was discovered. She was treated and made a full recovery.

Charity looks shocked as she talks to Mack on Emmerdale
In a state, Charity also has PTSD and has also stabbed a loved one (Credit: ITV)

Charity stabs Mack in Emmerdale

In the present day, Charity has just stabbed husband Mack by mistake after hallucinating he was Harry. Charity had killed Harry in self-defence after he tried to kill Mack.

As Charity struggled with what she had done, she began suffering nightmares and flashbacks. It was clear she had PTSD, but everyone around her seemingly failed to notice.

Mack was rushed in to emergency surgery and has recovered, but Charity is now refusing to see him or the kids for fear she might hurt him.

As Cain tries to get through to her, Chas returns and finds out what’s happened. Can she help Charity using her own PTSD experience?

Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2024?

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Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an hour episode on Thursdays.

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Carena Crawford
Associate Editor (Soaps)