Emmerdale - Carly Hope will reveal her devastating secret in an emotional heart-to-heart with Marlon Dingle.

Carly will break down as she tells Marlon that she tragically lost a baby son to cot death four years ago..

Carly reveals her secret after she stands accused of harming her little niece April Windsor. Emma Barton is responsible for the mix-up as she spots bruises on the youngster and shares her suspicions that Carly might be responsible.

As the gossip spreads, Marlon naturally has some big questions to ask Carly about April, but he soon gets more than he bargained for when she opens up over her heartbreaking past.

Gemma Atkinson, who plays Carly, said: "At first when Marlon suggests that Carly is hurting April, she's very shocked and can't quite believe that he would have so little trust in her. She's angry and disgusted that Marlon thinks she could do such a thing. It's also such a shock to Carly to find out that April has been hurt. Her initial reaction is to ask whether April is okay and who could have done it. She's just as shocked as Marlon is. Carly has got no idea who it could be and she doesn't think to accuse anybody either. But once she's been accused herself, she doesn't have time to think about anybody else - she's just focusing on defending herself."

Marlon is satisfied that Carly is innocent after he quizzes her, but Emma still isn't convinced and decides to report her to social services. Much to Carly's horror, a social worker later arrives in the village to talk to her about April.

Gemma continued: "When the social worker is involved, Carly is really angry and so annoyed. The truth about her past then comes out in an argument. Marlon accuses Carly of not being able to relate to a child going missing, saying that it's something only a parent can relate to. Carly screams that she has been a parent, but straight away she wishes she hadn't said anything. She then has to explain to Marlon about everything that's happened to her. It's the first time she's spoken about it for 4 years - not even Bob or her mum know. Carly's son was called Billy, who died of Sudden Unexplained Infant Death. Carly was a single mum on her own, so she went through it all by herself and had to bury him on her own. It's really tragic, as Carly has carried this for all this time and not told anyone."

Carly swears Marlon to secrecy after the candid conversation, not even wanting Bob to find out. But how long can she really continue bottling all of this up?

Gemma explained: "She doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for her. So she's still got that hard exterior, but hopefully it will open doors for her to be more affectionate, more emotional and she'll realise that talking about a problem makes it easier to deal with. I'd like to hope that will she will tell Bob. I think he has a right to know, because Billy was his grandson. It'd also be nice for Carly to explain to him why she was so horrible to him when she returned.  And although everyone loves Bob, he hasn't always been the best dad as he hasn't been around. It'd be good for him to realise what he's missed out on when he wasn't around."

Offering some final hints on where this story is heading next, Gemma added: "There's lots more to come. The good thing about this baby storyline is that there's a lot more to it yet that people don't know about. So they'll get over this hurdle, but then Carly is dealt something else. There's lots of layers to Carly so it will be a busy year for her."