EMMERDALE has confirmed the fate of one of its most popular characters after 17 years on the show.
Leyla Harding, played by Roxy Shahidi, was revealed to be dead after the horror limo crash.
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It was revealed last year that Roxy would be leaving the soap and now it has been confirmed that show producers took the decision to kill Leyla off.
Whilst it was confirmed in Tuesday’s episode that a patient had died in the ambulance on the way to hospital, it was only confirmed that it was Leyla today.
In heartbreaking scenes, Leyla’s son Jacob was working a shift in the hospital when a number of villagers were rushed in following the horror crash.
Jacob was left panicked when he heard that his mum was one of them to be taken by the paramedics and was soon left confused as to why he could not find her in any of the hospital wards.
It was then that Jacob finally discovered the lifeless body of his mum with a colleague informing him that Leyla was dead upon arrival.
Leyla died from “severe blood loss” after she was impaled in the stomach by ice during the deadly crash.
She could be seen quietly bleeding out in the car but only revealed the extent of her injuries when she informed Kerry Wyatt that she could not move before she began to lose consciousness.
Although Kerry managed to drag Leyla across the ice, she died soon after from the blood loss and traumatic injury.
Leyla became the second casualty of the smash after Suzy Merton who died almost instantly after the impact of the smash.
Her body was left to sink in the limo as it went beneath the water after the rest of the villagers had managed to flee the ice.
Although Leyla and Suzy were the only two to die as a result of the crash – a third death was uncovered in the form of a mystery body lurking in the water.
Amy Wyatt came face-to-face with the body as she plunged straight through the ice.
Speculation is rife that the body belongs to Nate Robinson who left the Dales in September of last year.
The body could be seen wearing a bracelet identical to that of Nate’s.
It also matched Tracy’s bracelet; both had been made for them by their daughter Frankie.
At the end of the episode, Amy’s life was still hanging in the balance as she appeared to suffer a seizure in hospital.
It saw her have a traumatic flashback to coming face-to-face with the mystery body once more.
Biggest soap stunts
Soaps are no stranger to dramatic stunts in the storylines. Not only do these moments create a spectacle for viewers, they also fundamentally change characters’ lives.
Here is a look at some of the biggest soap stunts from over the years.
CORONATION STREET
- Tram crash (2010): The ITV soap marked its 50th anniversary with a intense tram crash – and live episode to boot. Overall, the crash and its effects were broadcast across a week in December 2010. Its resulting chaos saw regular characters Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold) and Molly Dobbs (Vicky Binns) die.
- Richard Hillman tries to kill the Platts (2003): Of all the men unlucky-in-love Gail tied the knot with, Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) is probably the one she regrets most in hindsight. In 2003, murderer Richard tried to kill his step-family: first by gassing them with car fumes and then driving Gail (Helen Worth), Sarah (Tina O’Brien), David (Jack P. Shepherd) and Bethany (Amy and Emily Walton) into a canal.
EASTENDERS
- Queen Vic fire (2010): In September 2010, EastEnders bid farewell to matriarch Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) as a permanent fixture on the soap – she returned as a guest before the character’s death in 2016. In the build-up to her initial exit, Peggy had trapped crack cocaine-addicted son Phil (Steve McFadden) in the Queen Vic. However, he escaped and set the boozer on fire.
- Bus crash (2017): In April 2017, a total of 11 Albert Square residents had their lives at risk in a terrifying bus crash. The stunt saw a double decker bus – the 764 to Barking – lose control and crash through the Albert Square market before hitting a low-level bridge. Notable passengers at the time included Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper).
EMMERDALE
- James Barton’s death (2016): Interestingly about James’ (Bill Ward) death was that it came in a spiral of events. After wife Emma (Gillian Kearney) locked James up in a jealous rage, he escaped and they tussled on a bridge over the bypass. Emma pushed him and James fell into traffic, in turn causing a 12-vehicle pile up, As well as James dying, key characters including Ashley Thomas (John Middleton) and Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) were injured.
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