Millions tune into Emmerdale stroke storyline

Millons of viewers are tuning into ITV's award winning soap Emmerdale to see how well loved character Terry Woods, played by actor Billy Hartman, fares after suffering a stroke in a recent episode.

Drinker and smoker Terry, 46, was out wetting his new baby's head when he collapsed. Treated with a new drug, Terry pulls through, but suffers partial paralysis.

In researching the part, Billy Hartman spoke to two young male stroke survivors and was struck by the effect it has on the sufferers' partners. In an intervew with TV Times magazine Billy described his experience: "Having a stroke is a very lonely experience. That's the most profound thing about it. With all the love and the best will in the world, the reality is that it's your reality and yours alone."

Over the coming weeks viewers will watch Terry come to terms with what has happened and undergo gruelling rehabilitation exercises in a specialist stroke unit.

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