‘Ashley's Death will make your Heart Swell!

Get the tissues ready! This week is going to be a heartbreaking one in the Dales as Laurel prepares to say goodbye to her husband, who loses his battle with dementia.

- Sue Crawford

We sat down with Charlotte Bellamy, 43, who lives in North Yorkshire with husband Mungo Denison and their kids, Sunnie, 12, Herbie, 10, and Teddie, seven, to find out more...

Charlotte, this week must be hard... 

Really hard. It’s been a long journey and the story has got a lot of attention, so to get it right at the end was very important for everyone. We wanted to play it just right.

Were you in tears at the end? 

Well, without giving too much away, it’s a beautiful ending. We can’t say what happens but it’s a good death. It’s life-affirming and it will make your heart swell. What we do pushes the boundaries of soap.

She brings him home from hospital, why? 

He has pneumonia, but she doesn’t want him to die in hospital where it’s clinical and cold. She wants him to be at home surrounded by his family and his children, by the pictures around him of his life. She doesn’t know how long he has, but she knows that it’s days.

How do you switch off after filming? 

When I get home my life changes into a different gear and I have my children’s needs to deal with. Yesterday is a good example. My husband was away, I came home and my oldest son has just had some braces put in his mouth and was like, ‘My life’s over!’ So suddenly I’m in mum mode and that’s important. So in a way I don’t ponder on work too much.

Will your children watch Ashley’s last episode?