Emmerdale fans were left devastated following the latest episode as Eric Pollard (played by Chris Chittell) delivered a cruel and low blow when he broke up with his girlfriend Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop). The heartbreaking scenes, which were a far cry from the exciting news that Torvill and Dean are appearing in the Dales for a special Christmas episode, were particularly hard for viewers as they knew the truth - that Eric was only making the decision to end his relationship as a result of discovering he had Parkinson's disease.