Charley Webb says ‘I can’t bear it’ as Emmerdale star opens up on diagnosis
Former Emmerdale star Charley Webb has opened up about her ADHD and autism diagnosis and how it has affected her life and parenting
Charley says she has no immediate plans to return to Emmerdale (Image: ITV)
Former Emmerdale actress Charley Webb has spoken candidly about her health diagnosis and its impact on her daily life. Towards the end of last year, Webb disclosed that she had received diagnoses of both Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism, explaining that this has helped her understand why she has always been particularly sensitive to noise.
Appearing on Luke Hamnett’s podcast Live, Laugh, Luke, Webb revealed that this sensitivity becomes especially noticeable when looking after her three sons: “Sometimes when I get back and I’ve been away from them, I forget how loud they are. And it takes me so long to readjust. I’m really overstimulated cuz they’re just so loud. “Noise is my biggest trigger,” she explains. “I can’t bear it.” Webb maintains that her hands-off approach to parenting is helping her three sons become more independent. “It’s called character building,” she explains
Charley says she likes her one week on, one week off parenting arrangement (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
She adds: “They don’t get fed and they don’t complain. I am like, ‘Get your takeaway. I’ve got to go… order what you want, I’m out’.”
Charley and Matthew operate a week-on, week-off custody arrangement. While she acknowledges initially finding this difficult, she now believes the setup works well with her personality: “I think I’ve got used to it now.
“At first it was really hard. For 50% of the time I was like ‘Where are my children’? But now I’m living my best life …I’m so much better when I’ve had a week off from them. I can be a really good mum because I’ve had a break.”
Charley and Matthew split in 2023 (Image: Getty)
Charley reveals she brushes off criticism from social media users who suggest she ought to be devoting more time to her sons. She continues: “I have a week off and I’m going to do what I want. If I want to go to Australia, I am going.”
She explains that her recent diagnoses have given her a far greater understanding of herself: “I think my autism is definitely stronger than the ADHD side. I think it’s definitely more autism. But then even that I think is mild and I think everyone has this idea of autism like it’s just one thing and it’s really not.”
Still recognised by countless TV viewers as Debbie Dingle, Charley confirms she has no intention of reprising the role. “There’s no plans for me to go back,” she said, “just because I think it wouldn’t be the right time and having three kids is a lot and also working there is a lot.”
Charley was diagnosed at the end of 2025 (Image: ITV)
The last viewers heard of Debbie, she had upped sticks and relocated to Australia without any warning, with her daughter Sarah Sugden only learning of the news when she called to break the news of her cancer diagnosis.
While Charley won’t be returning to The Dales any time soon, audiences can look forward to seeing her back on screen towards the end of the year. She is due to feature in a bold six-part ITV drama entitled Adultery.
Penned by writer Danny Brocklehurst, the drama centres on two single parents whose passionate, illicit affair threatens to tear apart their families, marriages and lives. Charley enthuses: “It’s a great cast. Dominic Cooper, Shelley Conn. I think it’s going to be one of those things that people binge.”
