Emmerdale: Beloved character in heartbreaking suicidal thoughts storyline as Yorkshire charity Andy's Man Club provides advice

Viewers have watched Paddy struggle in recent months with marriage problems with his wife Chas, as well as grief over the death of his daughter Grace.

The usually affable vet has also been seen making careless mistakes at work and has been unable to confide in his lifelong friends Marlon Dingle and Rhona Goskirk.

Feeling alone and struggling to find his place in people’s lives, Paddy, played by Dominic Brunt, will begin having suicidal thoughts and as he contends with these, the audience will see the true extent of Paddy’s deep depression.

In an episode set to broadcast on Thursday February 9, viewers will see Paddy suddenly leave the village without telling his friends or family.

Although Paddy will soon be found staying locally in a guest house, it will be clear he is struggling with his mental health and not planning on reconnecting with his loved ones for some time.

In March Paddy will return to his village, when completely unbeknownst to his close friends he will say some veiled goodbyes before leaving again with the aim of ending his own life.

The soap has been advised by Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club – which was founded in Halifax – about how to portray Paddy’s suicidal thoughts as accurately and sensitively as possible.

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw explains: “As soon as we started discussing this story we knew that it was vital for us to get it right and that we needed to open up the conversation about male depression and suicide.

"Paddy is usually very happy-go-lucky in life, always joking and having a laugh, but what we see is that recent events have really taken their toll. Despite him being popular and having lots of friends and family around him, Paddy starts to feel increasingly lonely, isolated and overwhelmed by his feelings and this leads to him having some very dark thoughts.

"We've worked really closely with Samaritans and Andy's Man Club every step of the way through this story and their incredible support and insight has helped us to shape Paddy's journey into a true reflection of what thousands of men sadly go through every year.”

Neil Waine from Andy’s Man Club said: “Andy’s Man Club are a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across well over 100 venues in the United Kingdom and online.

"We want to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and help men through the power of conversation and we are absolutely delighted that ITV and Emmerdale are tackling this vitally important subject and helping raise awareness that it’s okay to talk.”

Actor Dominic Brunt said: ”It’s a huge honour and a great responsibility to be portraying this storyline. It’s an inherent problem in today’s society that most men don’t talk enough about their problems.

"We bottle them up, we don’t want to bother anyone, we become embarrassed, we feel we should be strong and not show weakness. If this story can shine a light on the issue or make even a small change to someone’s outlook or viewpoint, then it will have been worth it.