'Emmerdale': Laurel devastated by Jai's betrayal in new fraud storyline

Emmerdale star Charlotte Bellamy says 'the trust is broken' between her character Laurel Thomas and partner Jai Sharma after she discovers his big betrayal.

Jai has crossed the line after struggling to pay the HOP’s fine for the 'Survival Week' disaster. When his bank loan application was rejected, he reapplied using Laurel’s name instead, and the decision could cost Jai everything.

Speaking at a recent press event, Bellamy reveals that things aren’t looking good for the pair once the truth comes out. “I don’t really see how they can come back [from] this, the trust is broken,” she says.

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“She can’t believe that somebody would do that to, not just her, but the children as well. She’s very trustworthy of people, so yes, she’s devastated.”

Complicating matters further, Kim Tate (Claire King) plans to sell Mulberry Cottage. It’s only when Laurel is refused a mortgage to buy the property that she finds out about the loan — and Jai’s lies.

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For Laurel, the potential loss of her family home adds a whole new layer to Jai’s deception.

“Mulberry for her is a house that has so many memories, and he’s put that all at risk,” notes Bellamy. “So he’s not only disrespected her, but her memories and her past.”

Chris Bisson, who plays Jai, explains why his character sinks to such lows. “In the spur of the moment, he was under such pressure that he just decided to try Laurel’s name to see if Laurel could get the loan,” he says.

“I’m not sure at that moment in time he envisaged taking a loan out without her consent, but ultimately that’s kind of where that path led him.”

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Jai also decides to sell the cottage where dad Rishi (Bhasker Patel) and sister Priya (Fiona Wade) are living, but in his desperation, he doesn’t think about how selfishly he’s behaving.

“I think he just becomes so blinkered and single-minded about it that he really doesn’t consider other people’s feelings,” says Bisson.

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Rishi later collapses with a heart attack. It’s a moment that makes Jai finally stop and think about his forceful attitude. “Priya makes it clear to him that this is probably a consequence of his actions, so he’s absolutely guilt-ridden and mortified,” the actor adds.

“It’s all been about money and businesses up until this point, until somebody’s life is actually affected. Suddenly that brings it all home to him.”

While his alter ego battles through this crisis, Bisson reveals he’s put some thought into what else he would like to see Jai get up to.

“One of the stories that looks like we could shape up…head-to-head with Kim. I think there’s a lot of animosity there.

So I think a big battle for power and control and success would be on the cards there, which would be lovely to play, and I like working with Claire [King] as well."

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