Emmerdale viewers believe a scene on the ITV soap a few weeks ago may have given away a character was leaving, after the news Leyla Harding would be killed off

Emmerdale viewers are recalling a recent scene on the ITV soap that may have given away Leyla Harding was being killed off.

The scene that aired just weeks ago could have alluded to an exit for Leyla amid a storyline involving Belle Dingle and Tom King. One theory suggested the scene itself, from the future, may have foreshadowed what was ahead.

Reports emerged this weekend that actress Roxy Shahidi would bow out of the show after 16 years, and that her character Leyla is being killed off in explosive scenes. Emmerdale has yet to confirm the news or when it may happen, with the actress also not speaking out.

But did a scene last month possibly give away Leyla would not be in the village in the future? Viewers will remember that Belle imagined three future scenarios that could happen if she didn’t end things with her abusive husband Tom.

In one of those futures, we saw Belle leave Tom but not report him. Sadly it resulted in the death of his new partner Amelia Spencer, with Tom becoming abusive towards her before seemingly killing her.

In present day Belle has reported Tom, but he’s still with Amelia leaving some wondering if this imagined future could become a reality. But it’s something else that happened in this very same flashforward that startled fans.

Emmerdale viewers believe a scene on the ITV soap a few weeks ago may have given away a character was leaving (Image: ITV)

In this future, Belle had gone back into business with Suzy Merton. Earlier this year Belle teamed up with Leyla and Suzy at Take A Vow, combining their business ventures.

Tom stopped Belle from continuing this work but in the particular scenario where she did leave Tom without reporting him, it was revealed she was back at work. Not only that but she was working with Suzy again, but someone was missing.

Leyla was nowhere to be seen and wasn’t with Suzy and Belle despite it being her business. Fans are now wondering if this was a major hint that in the future Leyla would not be there, pretty eerie now that we know she’s being killed off.

Did the scene give this away without us realising? A theory read: “Emmerdale have known Roxy was leaving for ages, that flashforward episode where Belle and Suzy were co-owners of Take A Vow… no sign of Leyla, that was probably the first hint.”

It comes after a source told The Sun: “Roxy has adored her time on the soap and has made so many happy memories since first joining. The cast have become like family to her and she has grown so much as an actress, but now feels like the perfect time to spread her wings and try something new. She is really excited about her meaty exit storyline, which will see her character Leyla die on screen. She’d rather go out in a blaze of glory and be remembered.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.