Roxy Shahidi turned up in the Dales one last time

Emmerdale star Roxy Shahidi made an unexpected return to the Dales as Leyla “returned from the dead” during Thursday’s (March 6) episode.

As fans settled down to watch the latest installment of the Leeds-based soap, Leyla returned to the screen one last time in a surprise appearance as she gave a melancholic voice-over throughout the day as the village mourned.

Leyla’s voice kicked off the episode, as she said: “And they say farming’s dangerous, I could’ve told you the danger money’s in events. Bridezillas are on dangerous beast. Surprised I made it to 40, I know I don’t look it. Still, it was one hell of a ride. Way too short though, what I’d give to be young again. Saturday nights in town, not a care in the world. And then you meet the one, and you reckon it’s gonna last forever.”

She continued: “‘Till someone else steals his heart, and that’s when all the mistakes come rumbling in. I guess I could never handle being a grown-up. Could never handle affairs of the heart, why do things always have to be so complicated? And never what they appear to be…”

As Leyla’s funeral started, she gave another comment: “Now that is what I call a Madonna moment, lifted in the air by six hunks. Granted I would have preferred it without the coffin…”

Near the end of the episode, the ITV soap aired flashbacks that revealed some character’s secrets. One clip showed Mary and Suzy hanging out before the limo crash. As Suzy said “you don’t realise how special you are” to Mary, it wasn’t long until Suzy confessed her feelings.

The pair then shared a kiss which Leyla walked in on in shock, confirming fan theories that Mary and Suzy were more than friends before her death. A second flashback showed Manpreet who has been receiving coy messages for some time now.

As Leyla entered the GP surgery to visit Liam, she walked in on Manpreet looking at something on her laptop, but what could she have seen? The final secret Leyla knew about was Tracy seemingly struggling with cash.

In an exclusive chat with Digital Spy, Roxy Shahidi shared: “It was a brilliant idea from the writers. I’m very grateful for it, because it marks Leyla’s death in a really poignant way, and she definitely goes out with a bang. I mean, how many people get to come back from the dead? I loved that!”

She continued: “It’s a really fun twist, where Leyla gives voice-overs throughout the funeral episode and she reveals three secrets to the audience, which she discovered before she died.

“That’s great because it lets the viewers be privy to something that nobody else knows. It’s a really unique way to end Leyla’s time on the show, because they’ve never done it before.”

Discussing her exit, Roxy admitted it was a “shock”, but admitted: “it was bittersweet. Getting the push was a mix of emotions. It was a sense of relief, because you think: ‘Now I’ve got to get out there and do some new things’.

“But it was also really sad because you love the character, you love the job, you love your friends. It feels like a family on the show.” She also shared she’d love to star on Coronation Street or Waterloo Road in the future.

Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.