Emmerdale fans rage over 'forgotten' family member 'So weird!'

Emmerdale viewers have been left baffled by the relationship between Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) and her family members. Sarah recently underwent surgery after learning she had cervical cancer, but due to complications during the operation, doctors were forced to perform a hysterectomy. Sarah has been supported through the ordeal by her grandparents Cain (Jeff Hordley) and Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins), but fans have noticed that her other close family members are nowhere to be seen. As the daughter of Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher), Sarah is the niece of Victoria (Isabel Hodgins) and Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley).

However, it was suggested during Monday's episode that the siblings hadn't visited their niece in hospital, despite undergoing major surgery. Writing on a Reddit forum, one confused fan asked: "I'm just wondering when Sarah was in hospital after her operation. Did Victoria never think to go and see her niece was doing?" The question sparked the same response from several viewers, who noted the lack of interactions between Sarah and the other Sugdens.

One responded: "Don't be silly - Sarah is only ever allowed to speak to and interact with the Dingles; we're supposed to completely forget that she has any other family in the village and neither Robert or Victoria are ever permitted to speak to her because...reasons."

Another agreed: "Same applies to Robert. Also, the show barely ever acknowledges that Sarah is also a Sugden outside of her last name."

A third chimed in: "They didn't even acknowledge her name when Aaron and John were getting married. When they were in the pub, Cain said that there was only room for one Sugden in the family. He was talking about John and not Robert. Obvs forgetting his granddaughter is a Sugden!"

Someone else added: "Sarah isn't part of the Sugden family anymore since Andy left. She hasn't interacted with any of them in years. I don't believe she's even once spoken to Victoria, it's so weird."

Another observed: "Might be a case of the writers forgetting their family connections."

During Tuesday's episode, Sarah was stunned to discover that Charity asked Victoria if she would carry her baby. After Victoria admitted she couldn't go through with it, Charity offered to carry Sarah's baby herself.

However, this has disastrous consequences for her marriage to Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) after she doesn't tell him about her offer.

Emma told Express Online and other press: "There's so many complexities with what they've been through on their own journey with pregnancy and there's a lot of emotional scarring and wounds there for them both that they've brushed under the carpet because Charity made the decision that she didn't want to have another baby.

"I think that will create a lot of tension and resentment and we'll see that play out in the not too distant future."