Much-loved Emmerdale couple call it quits as their marriage spectacularly falls apart in public outburst
A huge never-before-done episode will see the end of a favourite Emmerdale couple as they publicly decide their marriage is done.
The couple in question is Rhona (Zoe Henry) and Marlon (Mark Charnock), who are still surfing the shockwaves of Rhona going rogue on the stand in court when she threw her impact statement out of the window, and ultimately got Gus (Alan McKenna) sent down for a whopping eight years.
Marlon was distraught that she had made such a huge decision without consulting him, and after he branded her ‘not the woman he fell in love with’, things haven’t been the same for them since.
This special episode centres around Belle (Eden Taylor Draper) and Tom (James Chase), and Rhona and Marlon as both marriages come under the heaviest strain.
‘Given where they are at, and it gets pretty ugly running up to the dinner party, they shouldn’t be out in public because it can only escalate’, actor Mark Charnock explained.
‘The day before they try to sort it out but it falls apart again and it gets much worse. But Rhona tells him she’s accepted this dinner invitation which, to him, is another little example of Rhona making decisions without him. Every little thing she does now is like he’s waiting for her to make a mistake. Everything she does now that doesn’t involve him feels like a decision made unilaterally. He starts to see a problem in everything.
‘So yes they shouldn’t be at the dinner party because it can only lead to disaster and it really does.’
Still at each other’s throats, Rhona and Marlon finally agree to meet for lunch to talk and spend time together. But it’s not long before the war reignites when Rhona drops the bomb that she’s made yet another decision behind Marlon’s back – she’s accepted Tom’s invitation to dinner.
Marlon agrees to attend through gritted teeth, but it’s another deep chink in the armour of their marriage.
They arrive at Dale View and the tension is palpable. Mandy (Lisa Riley) and Paddy (Dominic Brunt) are oblivious and are all over each other, making things more awkward and highlighting the chasm between Rhona and Marlon.
The nail in the coffin is a toast from Tom about marital solidarity.
Further spotlighting the cracks in Rhona and Marlon’s relationship, it finally crumbles when a row escalates beyond the point of return.
The couple air their dirty laundry and Rhona tries to get them to leave, but Marlon refuses.
As a result, Rhona makes another huge decision on behalf of their family – their marriage is over. After everything they’ve been through, is this it?
