Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Charlotte Tutton

Emmerdale's Sarah Sugden: Tragic namesake, devastating health battle and absent parents

Emmerdale teen Sarah Sugden has grown up on the ITV soap, and is related to two of the show's biggest families.

Half Dingle and half Sugden, Sarah has featured amongst key characters, and has been part of some really big storylines since she was born on the show in 2005.

Now 17 years old, the character will soon be thinking about her future - amid times of worrying she would not live a full life.

Sarah has faced serious health battles since she was a young child, and has often discussed not having the same childhood as her friends around her. Here we look back at some of the character's biggest moments...

Who are Sarah's parents? Who is she related to?

Sarah Sugden is the daughter of Debbie Dingle and Andy Sugden (ITV)

Sarah Sugden is the daughter of Debbie Dingle and Andy Sugden. Neither character is currently in the village.

Debbie lives in Scotland with her son Jack, Sarah's brother, and despite a brief return she is not set to make a comeback. Andy went on the run in 2016 for a crime he did not commit.

Sarah is the granddaughter of Charity and Cain Dingle, and Diane Sugden, and the niece of Victoria and Robert Sugden, as well as Nate Robinson, Ryan Stocks, Noah Dingle and Moses Dingle. Her uncles also include Kyle and Isaac. Sarah is cousins with Frankie, Seb and Harry.

Who was Sarah named after?

Sarah was named after Andy's tragic adoptive mother Sarah Sugden (ITV)

Sarah was named after Andy's tragic adoptive mother Sarah Sugden who died in a fire in 2000. Andy caused the fire that killed Sarah.

Andy's actions devastated the family, while he did not mean to kill Robert and Victoria's mother. It sparked a long-running feud between the brothers.

Sarah Jr's brother Jack is also named after a relative, their late grandfather Jack Sugden who passed away off screen in 2009.

What happened to Sarah, and will she die?

In 2011, six-year-old Sarah was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease (ITV)

In 2011, six-year-old Sarah was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called Fanconi anaemia, and she needed a bone marrow transplant to save her life. Debbie and Andy decided they needed to have another baby, as neither of them or their family members were a match for Sarah.

Later in the year, Sarah took a turn for the worse and began developing leukaemia. Jack was born that same month, and he proved to be a match. In 2017, Sarah was revealed to have throat cancer.

After a crowdfunding campaign and help from Debbie's grandmother Faith Dingle, Sarah received treatment in Prague. A year later she suddenly collapsed and was confirmed to be suffering from heart failure, as a side effect of chemotherapy.

Sarah has spent most of her life in hospital (ITV)

While waiting for a transplant, a hospitalised Sarah suffered from a virus but eventually a transplant was found for her and she underwent surgery. There were some complications after the heart didn't initially work as well as it should, but the medication soon stabilised her.

Sarah has spent most of her life in hospital or sheltering because of her illness, and she fears she won't live a long life as a result of what she has been through. According to the NHS, some patients have survived for more than 25 years after having a heart transplant, with survival rates based on a number of factors.

Who plays Sarah on Emmerdale?

Sarah is currently played by actress Katie Hill (ITV)

Sarah is currently played by actress Katie Hill. Katie has played Sarah since 2017.

Prior to this, actress Sophia Amber Moore portrayed the character between 2007 to 2016 before the role was recast. Three other child actresses played the role before this, since 2005.

Got any theories or thoughts on the storyline? Let us know in the comments section below

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.