Nicking off with someone else’s baby is always going to carry consequences, but Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) is in for a big shock when she learns just how bad they’ll be in Emmerdale.
Rhona’s world flipped upside down when she learned of baby Ivy’s existence, and then it was spun around a bit more when Gus did a flit and left the baby behind for her to care for.
Rhona became firmly obsessed with the baby and considered herself a permanent fixture in the infant’s life.
Then Gus returned and shattered her world, revealing he planned to take Ivy to France. Rhona’s last shred of sanity dissolved, and she made the snap decision to steal the baby when no one was looking.
After quite the goose chase and a bucket load of worry, Rhona eventually returned with Ivy to a distraught Gus (Alan McKenna) and an emotionally wrecked Marlon (Mark Charnock). Gus reacts as imagined, and Rhona realises she faces losing Ivy for ever.
Rhona and Marlon seek advice from Ethan over fighting for parental rights, but he has bad news for her. He tells her she is facing severe consequences of kidnapping and that parental rights are the least of her worries – she needs to plead guilty to avoid a harsher sentence.
This could mean a custodial sentence, and never seeing Ivy again.
But first, there’s a terrible side effect to all this that Rhona has been ignoring. Marlon receives a call from Leo’s school – the young lad has uncharacteristically been involved in a fight.
Paddy and Marlon deduce his behaviour is down to Rhona’s obsession with Ivy and subsequent ignoring of her own children. Leo says he’d rather spend time with Paddy, leaving Marlon and Rhona crushed.
April is incensed. Her parents are so blinded by the baby they can’t see they’re destroying the family they already have.
She targets Rhona for prioritising Ivy over her. It’s a devastating turn of events for Rhona, who faces losing Ivy, her own children, and her freedom to boot.
