Emmerdale star Roxy Shahidi has opened up about a harrowing storyline that impacted her behind the scenes as she played Leyla Harding on the ITV soap
Emmerdale actress Roxy Shahidi has revealed the emotional toll a distressing storyline had on her off-screen.
The star took on the role of Leyla Harding in the ITV soap, appearing on screens as Jacob Gallagher’s mum between 2008 and 2015 before her character’s death in February after a fatal crash.
Over her years on the show, Roxy was a part of some difficult and emotional storylines, including marrying local GP Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) and facing grief when his young daughter was murdered by Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu).
The actress has now shared how difficult it was to film these scenes, particularly as a mother herself.
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During an appearance on The Lewis Nicholls Show, she confessed: “I just wept everyday because I think it was just the idea of being a parent and loss, and knowing that there are so many parents out there…he [Jonny McPherson] worked with a lot of charities and spoke to a lot of parents.”
She continued to explain the raw connection she felt to the storyline, saying: “This kind of raw connection to it, but the realisation that you try and hide away from day to day – there is so much grief, especially for parents,” reports the Daily Star.
She admitted: “Just being confronted with that day in day out – it is selfish to say because I didn’t experience that, and I’m so lucky.
“People going through that and that loss, to portray it, I was just so upset.”
She also mentioned that despite the storyline being fictional, seeing pictures of Leanna around the set made filming even more challenging.
“Even just being in the house with him. When we kind of started to move on from that being the primary focus of the scenes, all the pictures were everywhere. Even though it was fictional, I’d be reminded of this huge loss.”
Dancing On Ice star Roxy became a mum in 2018, after tying the knot with actor Arsher Ali in 2010.
This follows Roxy’s chat with Metro in May about her feelings on departing the soap after over 16 years.
“I’m adjusting. I think it’s equally terrifying and really exciting,” she expressed at the time.
“You know when you’re like, stood on the edge of a cliff and you’re like, oh my god, it’s so exciting.
“But equally, you’re out of that bubble, you’re out of that comfort zone. And there are also elements that you miss. You miss your friends, you miss your routine, you miss the character.
“But also, I’m 42 now, and I was lucky enough to spend 16 years in a show that I loved. Life is short, and I’m really ready for new adventures, for new projects, and to see where those things take me.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
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