By Laura Denby

Published: Friday, 05 August 2022 at 12:00 am


Leyla Cavanagh (Roxy Shahidi) woke up in hospital after her shocking drug overdose in tonight’s Emmerdale (5th August) – but husband Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) was notably absent from her bedside.

The troubled businesswoman has been secretly taking cocaine for months, with Leyla joining pal Suzy Merton (Martelle Edinborough) in taking the substance. But when Suzy gave up the coke and encouraged Leyla to do the same, Leyla ignored her warnings and began to spiral. And this week, a dodgy encounter with dealer Callum (Tom Ashley) led her down an even darker path.

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Jacob (Joe-Warrent Plant) and Liam (Jonny McPherson) were left distraught.

Cash-strapped and desperate, Leyla agreed to store a bag of drugs for Callum. He also gave her an extra helping, and it wasn’t long before she headed home alone to sample it. It was clear she was now addicted as she tried to resist temptation, but Liam was later devastated to find his wife unconscious.

It was touch and go as to whether Leyla would survive, and Liam grew angry as he was faced with the possibility of losing her just a year after the murder of his beloved teenage daughter Leanna (Mimi Slinger). Thankfully, Leyla did make it through, but she was groggy as she was told she had suffered a heart attack.

Leyla’s son Jacob (Joe Warren-Plant) was furious with her, but Priya Kotecha (Fiona Wade) helped him understand that Leyla needed his love and support. Unfortunately, Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) managed to stir up more fury when she let slip to Liam that her partner, David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden) had known about Leyla’s cocaine problem for weeks.

Liam vented over the fact that David was always on hand to help a vulnerable damsel in distress, and given that Liam and Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) had also found the huge stash of drugs at the Take A Vow office, Victoria’s bombshell seemed to be the final straw for Liam.

Just as Leyla admitted to Jacob that she only had herself to blame, Victoria arrived without Liam. Although aware that Liam would be angry, Leyla was shocked that her husband was nowhere to be seen, struggling to take it in as she wondered whether she had lost him forever.

Is this the end of the road for the Cavanaghs’ marriage?

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