Marshall Hamston (Max Fletcher) turned to alcohol to cope with his torment in tonight's Emmerdale (26th April) amid another difficult week.

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The teen has been living with Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) and family recently, after Laurel and her son, Marshall's friend and potential love interest Arthur (Alfie Clarke), discovered that Marshall was being abused by his homophobic father Colin (Mark Noble).

This week, though, Marshall was subdued, and he eventually told Laurel that it was the anniversary of his mum's death. Laurel kept Marshall's confidence when Arthur quizzed her on what was wrong; but later, Marshall finally opened up to him.

When Arthur confided that he understood, as the anniversary of his dad's death was always painful for him, Marshall pointed out that it simply wasn't the same as he was now being ignored by Colin when he needed him most. He then left, dismissing confused Arthur's attempts to support him.

In the village, Marshall bumped into troubled pal Cathy Hope (Gabrielle Dowling), who had stolen some vodka from the B&B after ducking out of another exam due to her mental health struggles. Cathy persuaded Marshall to join her in drinking, and the pair sat at the cricket pavilion as they shared their troubles and swigged from the bottle.

As the adults realised that the kids were missing, Marshall and Cathy were eventually found by Laurel, as well as Cathy's dad Bob (Tony Audenshaw) and adoptive mum Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop).

Cathy was vomiting, while Marshall's drunk state was also a cause for concern. But he ended up apologising to Laurel for his behaviour, and although she grounded Marshall, she insisted she would still be there for him.

At home, he told Arthur he'd been stupid, and Laurel sent him to bed to sleep off the alcohol. But alone in his room, Marshall opened a hidden bottle of vodka and continued to drink, determined to drown out his pain. What's next for the lost soul?

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Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Soaps hub.

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