Dominic Brunt: 'Paddy won't leave Rhona'

Emmerdale's Paddy Kirk will not consider walking away from Rhona, his alter-ego Dominic Brunt has claimed.

The actor told Soaplife that the village vet would be left shocked when he discovers that Rhona (Zoe Henry) is pregnant with his best friend Marlon's (Marc Charnock) child.

"At first he tells Rhona he can't be with her in these circumstances," Brunt revealed. "It's a knee-jerk reaction though. The next day he apologises and tells Rhona that of course he'll be there for her during the pregnancy and beyond."

However, he confessed that telling Marlon that they are now a couple and plan to stick together is harder than they expect.

"They know it'll be bad but nowhere near as bad as it turns out. Marlon's overjoyed at the prospect of being a dad then horrified when Paddy says he and Rhona are together."

He continued: "Marlon feels utterly betrayed and goes off his head. He's heartbroken, but cold and calm with it, which makes it all the more haunting."

Discussing if the plot explored Paddy's relationship with Marlon more than anything else, he said: "Paddy loves Marlon very deeply and fears he'll never forgive him. But the bottom line is Marlon can't marry Paddy and give him babies, can he?

"He can't walk away from Rhona when she needs him. It's not a choice."