Emmerdale airs a special flashback episode focusing on April Windsor next week.

The ITV soap provides answers on April’s recent whereabouts after PC Swirling turns up with an important update to share.

April ran away from home at Christmas after enduring weeks of problems.

These included being kidnapped by Ross Barton’s ruthless enemy Jade, discovering the truth about her mum Donna’s death, and falling out with her father Marlon Dingle.

Next week, Swirling arrives at Marlon and Rhona’s home and asks them to sit down as he shares some news.

Swirling confirms that April has been found, marking the end of the emotional six-week search for her. Will she be returning home safe?

In a special episode airing on Tuesday, February 4, Emmerdale viewers learn April’s tragic story for the first time via flashback scenes.

Marlon and Rhona are left completely overwhelmed as Swirling brings them up to date with the upsetting details about April. Will life for the family ever be the same again?

Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon, explained: “Swirling confirms that April has been found, but he doesn’t say whether she is alive or dead.

“The special episode is incredible and Amelia [Flanagan, who plays April] is incredible in it. The episode fills in all of the gaps, which the audience have only been able to guess at so far.”

He added: “I’m really proud of the show for doing it – I think it’s a remarkable piece of drama. You meet new characters, who are going to be really significant going forward.

“You see the alternate life that April has been living, which will come to be a major problem for Marlon going forward because he can’t comprehend it.”

Earlier this month, CCTV footage confirmed that April had been spotted in Leeds.

This gave Marlon a focal point for the search for the first time, but he began to push himself too far and risk his health by devoting every hour he could to the mission.