Emmerdale's Eric Pollard makes big decision after Parkinson's diagnosis
Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale has seen Eric Pollard and Brenda Walker patching things up after he opened up about his Parkinson's disease diagnosis.
In recent scenes, Eric was determined to face the neurological condition on his own, pushing Brenda — who was in the dark about his life-changing diagnosis — away as a result.
In tonight's (November 9) episode, Brenda confided in Nicola King and Bernice Blackstock, admitting she missed Eric's family as well as him.
"I truly thought that we were each other's happily ever after," she told Nicola as Jacob Gallagher overheard her saying she didn't think Eric ever loved her.
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"He did, he does," he told her, adding: "Grandad's wrong for pushing you away."
But Jacob's encouragement only partly soothed Brenda's sorrows, as she told Nicola she'd look into taking a proper break in the sun. Determined to get as far away as possible from Emmerdale, Brenda got back to Eric's to grab her passport.
She let herself in having found the door open. Rummaging in a drawer, she found a necklace Eric had bought for her, but mistakenly assumed he wanted to gift it to another woman.
After Brenda poured herself a drink, processing the thought of Eric being in love with someone else, he got back. She called him a coward, questioning him about "the other woman" and burst into tears.
"There is no one else," Eric insisted, asking his ex-partner to read the card in the necklace box, with Brenda realising the present was for her after all.
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A teary Eric told Brenda he should never have said he never loved her, but admitted to have broken up with her for her sake.
"I have to set you free," he insisted, asking her to go.
Brenda wouldn't relent, staying by his side and demanding an explanation.
"I have Parkinson's," Eric finally said.
He told her he'd known for a few days, leaving Brenda upset as he hadn't talked to her.
"I was releasing you," Eric said, but she insisted it wasn't his place to call it quits if he still loved her.
"You don't get to make those decisions for me," Brenda told him. "I want you, no matter what."
"It's going to get worse, painful…," he said. "I'm not going to be the man that you fell in love with," to which Brenda replied: "You'll always be the man I fell in love with."
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The couple shared a sweet moment when Brenda announced she'd move back in as long as they'd both be honest.
Their happiness was clouded when Jacob called at the house, relieved he wouldn't have to keep his grandad's secret any longer. However, Eric made his grandson promise not to tell David as he thought his son would be too fragile to cope with his diagnosis.
In the final scenes, another couple hit the rocks due to Eric's diagnosis. An unaware Victoria threatened to end things with Jacob as he was acting oddly to cover for his grandad, but he pleaded with her to stay and told her he loved her.
In tears, he insisted the secret he was keeping was not his to tell, with Victoria believing him and agreeing to give their romance a real shot.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
For more information and support about this topic, you can visit the Parkinson's UK website or contact the Helpline at 0808 800 0303.
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