Emmerdale star Charley Webb has delivered one of the most raw and heartbreaking confessions of her life, opening up about the devastating toll

her mother’s dementia diagnosis has taken on her and her family. In an emotional interview that left listeners deeply moved, the actress spoke candidly about grief,

isolation, and the quiet suffering endured by families watching a loved one slowly fade away.

Charley Webb has broken down in tears in a new admission about her mum’s dementia battle

The soap star admitted she has ‘never felt so alone’ in a candid moment

Best known for her long-running role on Emmerdale, Charley, 37, stepped away from scripted drama to share a painfully real story during an appearance on The Life of Bryony podcast. Fighting back tears, she admitted that the moment her mother, Helen, was diagnosed with dementia marked the loneliest point of her life — a feeling that still lingers years later.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alone as when that diagnosis happened,” Charley confessed, her voice heavy with emotion. Though she publicly revealed her mother’s condition in 2023, she explained that the diagnosis itself came a decade earlier, meaning her family has been quietly battling the illness for far longer than most people realised.

What made the revelation even more powerful was Charley’s admission that she still hasn’t fully processed what happened. “To be honest, I still don’t think I’ve processed it,” she said. “They say that you grieve when they’re here and you grieve when they’re gone — and I think a lot of people find it harder than what maybe they let on.”

Her words struck a chord with listeners, shining a light on the hidden grief that dementia brings. Unlike sudden loss, dementia forces families into a prolonged mourning — watching memories disappear, personalities shift, and relationships transform long before death arrives. For Charley, that emotional limbo has been relentless.

She went on to describe the experience as “very isolating,” expressing frustration at how little support exists for families living through dementia. While medical care often focuses on the patient, Charley believes the emotional wellbeing of relatives is too often overlooked. “It’s not just about the person who’s ill,” she implied. “The family is grieving too — quietly, constantly.”

The actress, who shares three children with her ex-husband and fellow Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden, revealed that her mother now lives in a care home with round-the-clock support. While she knows her mum is safe, that knowledge doesn’t make the visits any easier.

“It’s hard to watch,” Charley admitted. “I really struggle to go and see my mum without getting upset.” As she spoke, her composure began to crumble. Tears flooded her eyes, and she apologised mid-sentence, asking for a moment to gather herself — a raw, unfiltered moment that underscored the depth of her pain.

“It’s hard… it’s not the person that you love,” she said, her voice breaking, before covering her face with her hands. The silence that followed was heavy, a reminder that some wounds never heal — they simply become part of you.

This wasn’t the first time Charley had spoken publicly about her mother’s illness. Back in 2023, she appeared on This Morning, where she described the diagnosis as nothing short of traumatic. At the time, she revealed she was pregnant with her middle child, Bowie, when the family was desperately searching for answers.

“Trying to get the diagnosis is actually a long process,” she explained. “It’s difficult, it’s hard, it was stressful.” Doctors initially explored other possibilities, checking her mother’s thyroid and running multiple tests. Dementia wasn’t immediately suspected — largely because of Helen’s age and personality.

“She was young, she was 64,” Charley said. “She never wanted to go to the doctors for anything.” Helen’s vibrant character made the decline even more painful to witness. “She had a big personality,” Charley recalled fondly. “She was much wilder than me. She would stay up until four in the morning with my friends — so seeing that decline was awful.”

Charley’s mum was diagnosed when she was just 64, with the actress admitting it’s been impossible to process

Charley also believes her mother was in denial during the early stages, struggling to accept what was happening to her. That denial, combined with the slow pace of diagnosis, only prolonged the family’s anguish.

Helen was eventually diagnosed with early-onset dementia, a form of the disease that affects people under the age of 65 and often progresses rapidly. Charley revealed that her mother’s physical appearance changed dramatically as the illness took hold — another painful reminder of how deeply dementia can alter a person.

For fans of Emmerdale, Charley’s openness has added new depth to her public image. Known for her strength on-screen, she has now shown immense courage off-screen, using her platform to speak about a condition that affects millions yet remains deeply misunderstood.

Her emotional honesty has resonated far beyond the world of soap drama, sparking conversations about caregiving, mental health, and the silent grief families carry. Many listeners praised Charley for giving voice to feelings they themselves have struggled to articulate — loneliness, guilt, and the heartbreak of loving someone who no longer feels fully present.

While Charley continues to navigate motherhood, co-parenting, and her career, it’s clear that her mother’s illness has profoundly shaped her life. The grief she described is not loud or dramatic — it’s quiet, constant, and deeply personal.

In sharing her story, Charley Webb hasn’t just revealed her pain — she’s offered solidarity to countless others facing the same invisible battle. And in doing so, she’s reminded us that behind the glamour of television lies real heartbreak, real love, and a kind of strength that doesn’t come from pretending everything is okay, but from admitting when it isn’t.