Emmerdale airs shock death for Ethan Anderson as broken Charles vows revenge

Ahead of his court hearing for dangerous driving, Ethan tried to confront Ruby about her plot with Rose, but she covered in front of husband Caleb Milligan (William Ash).

Ethan confided in dad Charles (Kevin Mathurin), without giving him the names of who was involved, and Charles advised Ethan to tell the truth.

Ethan left Dawn a voicemail asking to talk properly, before sharing a heart-to-heart with Charles about recent events, the prospect of Ethan going to prison, and how much they meant to each other.

Charles continued the conversation as he headed to the kitchen to iron his shirt, but in the other room, Ethan suddenly clutched his head and collapsed to the floor.

Attempting CPR and calling an ambulance, Charles was out of his depth until his partner, doctor Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker), arrived and took over, desperately trying to revive Ethan with no success.

The villagers watched as Ethan was wheeled into an ambulance, with Charles and Manpreet following them to the hospital. At Home Farm, Dawn heard the news, and felt awful for failing to return Ethan's earlier message.

With Ruby behind the hit and run on Ethan in revenge for him leaving her son Nicky (Lewis Cope) for dead, she looked worried over the consequences of this latest development.

Ethan's grandmother Claudette (Flo Wilson) spoke with Ruby as she waited for news, until Charles and Manpreet arrived home to break the news that Ethan had died.

A broken Claudette struggled to stay on her feet, while Charles insisted that whoever had mowed down Ethan was responsible for his death. He vowed to make them pay, as Ruby struggled with her guilt. Will Charles uncover her crime?

Speaking about Charles's loss, actor Mathurin described the bond between his alter ego and his beloved Ethan: "Charles has lost his one and only constant, his son, who has been in his life throughout. When others came and went, Ethan has always been there. So now Charles has to deal with a life without Ethan, which is devastating.

"[Of all Charles's losses], it's going to hit the hardest because Charles raised Ethan on his own, and Charles and Ethan have always been together. They've been the core unit of the Anderson family, so for Ethan to be gone is going to be devastating for Charles to deal with."

Meanwhile, Mathurin was saddened that he'll no longer be working with co-star Emile John, who he claimed is destined for a bright career.

"It was devastating to know that Emile was leaving. We joined the show together, and we bonded straight away," he revealed. "He's been amazing playing my son, and he's a good mate, a brother, and we've had some great moments, laughs and tears together.

"It's been an amazing journey, and it's just going to be so weird not having him sit next to me in the dressing room, belly laughing. He's an amazing energy to have on set, and he's a brilliant actor, and the future is very bright for this talented guy, so I wish him all the best."

Ethan first appeared in Emmerdale in 2021, and was the victim of stop and search when drugs were planted on him. Ethan was also the victim of a homophobic attack, reunited with his estranged mother and the sister he never knew existed, and was often on hand to dish out unpaid advice to the locals in his capacity as a solicitor.

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Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.
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