Jacob Gallagher struggles in upcoming episodes after the death of Leyla in Emmerdale
Emmerdale star Joe Warren-Plant opened up about keeping in touch with his on-screen parents outside of the show as he deals with the aftermath of their exits.
Joe Warren-Plant joined the cast of Emmerdale in 2010 to take on the role of Jacob Gallagher. He’s been involved in some big storylines, including finding out he was adopted and his biological mother is Leyla Harding.
Leyla had an affair with her brother-in-law Justin Gallagher which led to Jacob being conceived. However, Leyla gave Jacob to Alicia and Justin to raise as Alicia was infertile.
In 2019, Jacob was also involved in a grooming storyline where middle-aged teacher Maya started a relationship with him while she was dating David who is Jacob’s adoptive father.
During Wednesday (19th February) night’s episode, Leyla sadly lost her life in the aftermath of the tragic limo crash. She was impaled by a piece of glass during the accident, and even though Kerry managed to drag her out of the limo before it submerged under water, the medics declared her dead before she made it to the hospital.
Jacob didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to Leyla before she died(Image: ITV)
In gut-wrenching scenes, Jacob was on duty in Hotten hospital that night, and after he learned that his mum was in the crash he ran through the entire hospital trying to find her.
He discovered the lifeless body of his mum and broke down in tears after a colleague informed him she was dead upon arrival. It was revealed that Leyla died from “severe blood loss”. Jacob sobbed as he cried: “She wouldn’t leave me, she wouldn’t leave her son.”
In the aftermath of Leyla’s exit, Jacob will struggle to cope particularly with the pressure of being a medical student. Back in 2023, Jacob had to say goodbye to his dad David Metcalfe as he went to visit his daughter Amber and her mother Priya in London after discovering that Jacob and Victoria Sugden were in a relationship.
Joe admitted he stays in touch with Roxy and Matthew away from the Dales(Image: ITV)
When speaking to the Manchester Evening News and other press, Joe admitted that he still keeps in contact with Matthew Wolfenden (David) and Roxy Shahidi (Leyla) off-screen.
He shared: “Of course, I mean we’re due to go out for lunch very soon, and you know, I saw Matthew in panto and me and Roxy went down together. So that was like a really nice moment. But yeah, I keep in touch with them all the time.”
Joe continued: “Now that Matthew and Roxy are gone, it’s heartbreaking but it’s allowed me to work with other people that I don’t usually have scenes with. It’s been quite a breath of fresh air really.
“It’s nice to see what dynamics Jacob has with different characters as well, and I feel like it’s kind of pushing me in a different direction. It’s been nice for me.”
Matthew originally left the Dales after being offered the starring role of Buddy in an eight-week run of Elf the musical in London’s West End. He’s also recently appeared in Channel Five’s Good Ship Murder, taking on his first TV role since Emmerdale.
