It was a Christmas Day full of shocks for the Dingle family in Emmerdale this year – a fitting festive season for how 2025 has gone so far.

At the centre of the Dingle drama was Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) who has been harbouring an enormous secret – the baby she’s carrying might not be who everyone thinks.

Charity is supposedly acting as surrogate for granddaughter Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill), but in actuality, the baby isn’t the one she and Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) conceived through IVF.

In a truly soapy twist, the baby is actually Charity’s own child, after an impromptu and ill-advised fumble with Ross Barton (Michael Parr)!

Unfortunately, Charity isn’t the only one harbouring her baby secret, having previously confided in ex-fiancée Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick), who – like many – is partial to the odd tipple on Christmas Day.

This makes her a complete liability where Charity is concerned, and the mother-to-be steered her away from listening ears to warn her in no uncertain terms to keep her mouth shut.

Vanessa Woodfield was dangerously close to revealing all (Picture: ITV)

Unfortunately, the trouble didn’t end there for Charity…

While cuddled up on the sofa with husband Mack Boyd (Lawrence Robb) later that evening, Charity was completely oblivious to an envelope being pushed through the door.

But who was it from, and what secrets are contained within? Could Charity’s secret be set to unravel?

Across the village, April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) threw herself into the festivities, sharing a heartwarming moment with dad Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) along the way.

April Windsor’s family are desperate to protect her from Celia Daniels (Picture: ITV)

However, it was a bittersweet affair for the troubled teen, whose harrowing experiences this year have led her into the clutches of drug-dealers and people traffickers, Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) and Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths).

While smooth-talking charmer Ray is the face of their criminal empire, Celia is the iron fist that keeps everything – and everyone – under control, and she has refused to let April out of her grip without a fight.