EMMERDALE’S Bear Wolf will find himself in a dramatic new storyline, Lisa Riley has revealed.
In recent episodes of the hit ITV show, Lisa’s character Mandy Dingle and partner Paddy, played by Dominic Brunt, have been voicing their concerns about Paddy’s dad, Bear.
The couple have tried to help him – from arranging a doctor’s appointment to giving him an old motorbike to restore, but he simply puts his strange behaviour down to “being a pain in the bum.”;
Now, after an incident at the garage that saw Bear getting very frustrated with the bike, and an altercation with Kammy Hadiq, fans have begun to question whether Bear has a secret health condition.
Dropping some hints about the storyline, , 48, spoke to The Sun and said: “Whatever’s going on with Bear,
“Next week, people are going to see Paddy and Mandy getting their new home and it’s all very exciting. And as new homeowners, they want to take advantage of it because they love each other and can’t keep their hands off each other.
“It’s their passion pad. They like to call it Paddy Towers. But Paddy is also very aware about mental health issues, so what does that mean for Bear moving forward?
“Is he a grumpy old man? Is he suffering from mental health issues? Will he have something severe as we go on? Of course, it’s going to go off.”;
The talented actress, who will celebrate a huge 30 years on the show next month, also spoke about the Dingles and
“Mandy loves John. She’s very flirty with him, and she thinks he’s great for Aaron.
“She thinks that he’ll look after Aaron, yeah, and obviously with the viewers, it’s so hilarious, honestly.
“When I’m in Waitrose, people go, ‘Mandy, Mandy, be careful of that John’ and I’m going, ‘yeah, OK,’ but how do you say it in a non-patronising way?
“I know as a viewer, but obviously Mandy loves him and doesn’t see anything wrong with him and has no idea. And if Mandy does find out in so many months to come, oh God help him.
“I mean, her brick would come out – she has a brick in her bag, and you’d see the crazy side of Mandy if she had any inkling that John had something to do with Nate’s death.”;
Lisa added: “She’s the Queen of the family, and you don’t cross the Queen.”;
Away from her life portraying Mandy Dingle on hit soap Emmerdale, Lisa has been supporting Sue Ryder with their latest campaign.
Lisa was incredibly close to her mum Cath,
Now, Lisa has joined forces with their Back for a Moment campaign, to help bereaved people get the support they need.
And in doing so, the star chatted to The Sun about her mum, and how she sometimes finds herself hiding behind her character Mandy, to disguise the pain of losing her.
But Lisa says it’s her Emmerdale cast mates who get her through those tougher times.
She said: “On the tough days, I do think Mandy Dingle has been a great person to hide behind. I do hide behind the bravado.
“Because there are some days where you want to sort of roll over on your pillow and cry. But I am so grateful to do what I love, and I am very lucky.
“I am guilty of pressing the bravado button, but I have my wonderful co-stars around me, including Dom – who plays Paddy – and the incredible Bradley Johnson, who plays my son.
“We’re all so in tune with each other, they’ve got my back and I’ve got theirs, and honestly we’re so lucky we do, because sometimes I watch my scenes back and think ‘if only people knew what was really going on in my head.’”;
But the star said she recognises that, for some people, it’s hard to find others to turn to when losing someone, especially as 88% of bereaved people feel alone in their grief.
Lisa continued: “There are thousands of people who need to know that Sue Ryder is there, and that they don’t have to be by themselves.
“My dad was a bit in denial when my mum died, and that is what the campaign is there for.”;
Sue Ryder offers a range of free grief support, including an online bereavement community and in-person Grief Kind Spaces. Search ‘Grief Deserves Better’ or visit this website
