Last year, Emmerdale’s Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) revealed the tragic news that he has Parkinson’s Disease, breaking the news to Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) in emotional scenes.
Viewers learned of his diagnosis during flashback scenes when Lydia (Karen Blick) attempted to work out who killed Craig Reed (Ben Addis) – with Eric confiding in Mandy how terrified he is of the future.
Chris, who is Emmerdale’s longest serving cast member, said he feels ‘privileged’ to be given the storyline. He also added: ‘I want to do this storyline justice for the most courageous of people who are having to bear the brunt of this condition.’
As well as being a beloved Emmerdale character, the 75-year-old actor’s connection to the show extends away from the screen – as he’s married to his co-star Lesley Dunlop, who plays the soap’s Brenda Walker.
How long have the pair been together, and when were they married?
When did Chris Chittell and Lesley Dunlop meet?
Chris and Lesley, 67, first met in 2008 when the actress joined the cast of Emmerdale.
The actor – who has played Eric since 1986, has credited the soap with bringing them together.
‘Everyone thinks it’s the younger members of the cast who have all the fun but we more mature ones do, too,’ he told the Daily Record in 2012.
‘It was weird. Somehow we’d never met before and we just kept bumping into each other at work.
‘I can’t even remember if I asked her for a date or she asked me but she is wonderful and we’re very happy.’
When did Chris and Lesley marry?
The pair became engaged in 2015, and married in 2016.
The wedding took place in the coastal village of Coverack, Cornwall, in front of family, friends and co-stars including Emmerdale’s Nicola Wheeler, Bhasker Patel and Sam Hall.
Chris wore a cream suit with blue shoes for the occasion, while Lesley opted for a cream dress with multiple layers of chiffon, topped off with a floral headband and Victorian style lace ankle boots.
The couple do not have children together, although Chris has two children, Rebcca and Ben with first wife Caroline Hunt, whom he split from in 2005.
Lesley, meanwhile, has two daughters Daisy and Rose, from her marriage to actor and musician Christopher Guard.
While the pair might be together onscreen, viewers also saw their characters have a brief soap fling in 2013, after Eric split from his wife Val Pollard (Charlie Hardwick).
He eventually reunited with Val, who was killed off in the helicopter crash disaster in August 2015, while Brenda began a relationship with Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw).
But while Emmerdale is such a big part of both of their lives, Chris has admitted it’s the one thing they don’t discuss when they’re off set.
‘For some people, working together would be a nightmare but we love it. We make a point of not talking about Emmerdale when we’re at home, though – that would be just too sad, wouldn’t it?’
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 7.30pm on ITV.
