Emmerdale’s Gabby taken to hospital after panic attack

Gabby’s health storyline takes another serious turn in Emmerdale next week when Lauren goes looking for her and finds her having a panic attack, before Gabby ends up in hospital.

The development comes after growing concern about Gabby’s physical and emotional wellbeing. Her fixation with healthy eating has become increasingly restrictive since the summer, while Manpreet has also become worried about the health information Gabby is consuming online and her attitude towards conventional medicine.

Earlier scenes see Gabby’s persistent cough become another cause for concern when she discovers blood after coughing into a tissue. Manpreet also becomes alarmed by Gabby repeating conspiracy theories about pharmaceutical companies and raises the possibility that her relationship with healthy eating could be orthorexia.

Gabby has already suffered dizziness and previously collapsed, with low blood pressure identified during a medical check.

It also emerged that she had stopped taking her contraceptive pill as part of her clean-living approach, adding to concerns about how increasingly rigid her rules around health had become.

Her personal life has also been under enormous pressure. Gabby was on a video call with Vinny when he veered into Jimmy’s path during the wedding-day crash that ultimately led to the deaths of Jimmy and Dawn.

After Vinny admitted the truth, the fallout placed further strain on their relationship and left Gabby dealing with the consequences of what happened.

Problems at The Hide have created additional stress, with Gabby’s healthy-eating plans causing tension with Laurel while the business struggles financially. Against that backdrop, Lauren becoming concerned enough to look for Gabby leads to the discovery that something is seriously wrong.

When Lauren eventually finds her, Gabby is experiencing a panic attack. The situation subsequently leads to Gabby being in hospital, marking another escalation in a storyline that has increasingly brought together her physical symptoms, restrictive relationship with food and the considerable pressure surrounding her life.

A panic attack can involve intense physical symptoms as well as overwhelming fear. NHS guidance says symptoms can include a racing heartbeat, feeling faint or dizzy, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, nausea and feeling as though you are losing control.

Those symptoms can also occur with other medical conditions, which is why new or concerning symptoms should not simply be assumed to be anxiety. Emmerdale’s hospital scenes will now put Gabby’s wellbeing firmly back at the centre of the story as those around her realise how much she has been struggling.

Emmerdale is available from 7am on ITVX before airing on ITV1. Images: ITV.