By Laura Denby

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


The fate of Emmerdale mainstay Leyla Cavanagh (Roxy Shahidi) hangs in the balance following last night’s terrifying train of events, which saw her overdose on cocaine.

Leyla has been taking the substance frequently for several months as a way of escaping her problems, following a traumatic year which saw husband Liam’s (Jonny McPherson) teenage daughter Leanna (Mimi Slinger) killed by evil Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu). Leyla also suffered a miscarriage and felt unable to confide in her husband, and was shot by Meena in the lead up to the villain’s comeuppance.

After an eventful week which saw Leyla agree to stash a holdall of the drug for dealer Callum, Liam was horrified to find Leyla lifeless on the floor, surrounded by evidence of her drug use. As Liam, their friends and loved ones waited anxiously for news, the gravity of what happened hit him and anger kicked in.

But with Leyla in serious danger of losing her life, could Emmerdale be about to stage an unexpected exit for the character? Let’s take a look at all the possibilities ahead of the next instalment of the ITV soap.

 

Is Leyla leaving Emmerdale?

""
Roxy Shahidi as Leyla Cavanagh in Emmerdale.
ITV

With viewers still waiting to find out if Leyla will survive, could Emmerdale be set to air another harrowing demise, as RadioTimes.com previously speculated? This would be sure to have a devastating impact on Liam, as well as Leyla’s son Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant). There’s also pals Priya Kotecha (Fiona Wade) and David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden), so the loss of Leyla would have far-reaching consequences – a route that the soap world does tend to go down regularly.

But if Leyla does pull through, could she decide that her shame is too great to continue living in the village, leading her to make a hasty exit before anyone can help her? Or, perhaps this will finally be the wake up call she needs, with Leyla agreeing to take recovery steps. If so, this could also pave the way for a departure so she can get away from her demons.

Will Leyla be walking away from the Dales, one way or another? You’ll just have to keep watching to find out!

Read more:

Visit our dedicated Emmerdale page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Soaps hub.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.