This article contains spoilers from tonight’s episode of Emmerdale, which is already available to stream on ITVX.
She’s been an Emmerdale favourite for the last 17 years, but Leyla Harding has made her on-screen exit.
As has been long reported, the character has been written out of the ITV soap after actress Roxy Shahidi felt it was the ‘perfect time’ to try something new.
The character made her arrival way back in 2008 and has strong ties in the community, being mum to Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) and the ex-wife of Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson).
Leyla left the Dales in 2011 after three years when Roxy quit the show, but returned in 2013 and has been part of the fabric of village life ever since.
However, her exit this time around looks to be much more permanent, as Leyla is being killed off as part of Emmerdale’s epic frozen lake stunt.
Earlier this week, soap fans saw a limo crash into an icy lake, leaving several lives hanging in the balance.
Suzy Merton (Martelle Edinborough) has already lost her life, having sustained a head injury that instantly killed her in the vehicle, and in Wednesday’s episode, Leyla became the next victim of the tragic accident.
After Jacob raced around the hospital trying to find his mum, he eventually learnt the awful truth and was forced to say the most painful of goodbyes.
Leyla’s exit comes off the back off a big few years for actress Roxy.
In 2024, she appeared as a contestant on Dancing On Ice, where her and professional skating partner Sylvain Longchambon were fourth to be eliminated.
She also featured as a cast member in ITVBe’s fly-on-the-wall reality series Drama Queens, following the real lives of some of Soapland’s biggest female stars.
Roxy was joined on the show by fellow Emmerdale stars Laura Norton (Kerry Wyatt) and Amy Walsh (Tracy Metcalfe), along with Coronation Street actresses Lucy Fallon (Bethany Platt), Ellie Leach (Faye Windass) and Brooke Vincent (Sophie Webster), and Hollyoaks stars Jamelia (Sharon Bailey), Jorgie Porter (Theresa McQueen) and Rita Simons (Marie Fielding).
Away from screens, Roxy is married to stage and screen actor Arsher Ali.
Arsher is known for many TV roles, including PC Hari Bains in Line of Duty, Samir Qureshi in Ackley Bridge and Dennis Mahindra in Sky Max’s Funny Woman.
The couple married in 2010 after first meeting when they starred in a play together, and have a daughter together who was born in 2018.
Roxy is a yoga enthusiast and has her own YouTube channel called YogaRox, where she shares various practices.
She also hosts a podcast with former Emmerdale co-star Matthew Wolfenden, who played David Metcalfe, called Celebrity Side Hustles, where the pair interview famous faces about their off-screen passions.
