Alice Dingle
Encyclopedia
Alice Edith Rose Dingle was a fictional character
on the ITV
soap opera
Emmerdale
. She was played by Ursula Holden-Gill
.
was called to see to her chickens, he and wife Emily
were horrified by the way she was living and befriended her – soon she had temporarily moved in with them.
, who shared her love of chickens and was equally socially-excluded. Feelings between Alice and Sam ran deep and when she decided to sell her farm to relocate to Norfolk
, he was in turmoil. In fact, he was so distraught at the prospect of losing Alice that he threatened to kill himself, leaving Eric Pollard
to talk him out of it. However, what had been the worst day of his life, became the best when Alice returned from auctioning her property and they kissed.
gave Sam some sage advice and then drove him to the station in time to catch the train with Alice. For months the couple lived happily on their chicken farm, keeping the Dingles updated on how they were.
forced her to come clean, devastating Sam. To make matters worse, Alice was advised to terminate her pregnancy
so she could start chemotherapy
immediately to help her beat the disease.
However, Alice had no intention of getting rid of her baby. Against all advice, she carried on and gave birth to baby Samson prematurely in January 2006.
The birth left Alice very depressed as Samson was rushed to intensive care before she got a chance to bond with him. Sam did his best to keep the family together. Alice did a wing walk to raise money for charity. She shaved her head prior to starting chemotherapy
so that she was in control of when she lost her hair.
plot, Sam helped Alice to die by giving her an overdose of morphine
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
. She was played by Ursula Holden-Gill
Ursula Holden-Gill
Ursula Holden-Gill is an English actress best known for her role as cancer sufferer Alice Dingle on ITV's Emmerdale....
.
Introduction
The death of her father left Alice Wilson alone on the family farm, trying to make ends meet. When vet Paddy KirkPaddy Kirk
Patrick Frederick "Paddy" Kirk is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Dominic Brunt. Paddy demonstrates the dedication of the soap's writers towards maintaining a comedic tone in plotlines. While he has appeared at the centre of some grave storylines, Paddy is often...
was called to see to her chickens, he and wife Emily
Emily Kirk
Emily Kirk was a fictional character in ITV Soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Kate McGregor....
were horrified by the way she was living and befriended her – soon she had temporarily moved in with them.
Meeting Sam Dingle
Through Emily, Alice became friends with Sam DingleSam Dingle
Samuel Jonah "Sam" Dingle is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale played by James Hooton.-Storylines:Sam first appears in 1995 and he demands ransom money from the Sugden family. After his release from prison, he worked as a dogsbody for Eric Pollard and was constantly conned...
, who shared her love of chickens and was equally socially-excluded. Feelings between Alice and Sam ran deep and when she decided to sell her farm to relocate to Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, he was in turmoil. In fact, he was so distraught at the prospect of losing Alice that he threatened to kill himself, leaving Eric Pollard
Eric Pollard
Eric Charles Pollard is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Chris Chittell.Pollard has appeared on the show since 1986, making him the second longest running current character after Alan Turner who has appeared since 1982. He has lied to, cheated and swindled...
to talk him out of it. However, what had been the worst day of his life, became the best when Alice returned from auctioning her property and they kissed.
Living Together
While she prepared to leave, Alice asked Sam to join her and live together as a couple. Horrified at the prospect of leaving Emmerdale and his beloved family, Sam refused and Alice prepared to go to Norfolk alone. But, realising this was his son’s chance at happiness, ZakZak Dingle
Zachariah Bartholomew "Zak" Dingle is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Steve Halliwell. He first appeared on 20 October 1994 and has remained since except for a brief break from 2002-2003. On his time in the show he has been involved in a testicular cancer...
gave Sam some sage advice and then drove him to the station in time to catch the train with Alice. For months the couple lived happily on their chicken farm, keeping the Dingles updated on how they were.
Pregnancy
One day Sam returned to the Dingle home, acting strangely. A couple of weeks later, Alice appeared –explaining that Sam had upped and left after she fell pregnant. Although his family were shocked Sam could be so callous, Alice understood that he was just freaked out about the prospect of being a dad and soon the couple were back on track. However, Sam had missed home and wanted to remain in Emmerdale with their family around them to help with the baby.Cancer and childbirth
Things were fine, but Alice soon began to feel ill. Tests confirmed that she had cancer but, in an effort to protect Sam, she lied and said she’d been given the all clear. After a few weeks, Dr. Adam ForsytheAdam Forsythe
Dr. Adam Forsythe was a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by Richard Shelton.-Background:Adam arrived looking for a quiet life in the Dales following his divorce...
forced her to come clean, devastating Sam. To make matters worse, Alice was advised to terminate her pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
so she could start chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
immediately to help her beat the disease.
However, Alice had no intention of getting rid of her baby. Against all advice, she carried on and gave birth to baby Samson prematurely in January 2006.
The birth left Alice very depressed as Samson was rushed to intensive care before she got a chance to bond with him. Sam did his best to keep the family together. Alice did a wing walk to raise money for charity. She shaved her head prior to starting chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
so that she was in control of when she lost her hair.
Terminating her life
In April 2006 Alice's doctor told her the chemotherapy wasn't helping, so she stopped treatment. On 31 July 2006, after several weeks of pain, in a dramatic euthanasiaEuthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
plot, Sam helped Alice to die by giving her an overdose of morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
.