Emmerdale braced for ‘heart-stopping’ new storyline that will leave THREE soap legends fighting for their lives

Emmerdale viewers are in for a huge shock as three soap favourites are trapped in a car after it plunges into a frozen lake in dramatic upcoming scenes.

In horrifying scenes filmed last week, Leyla Harding, who portrays Roxy Shahidi, is one of three women who will be seen fighting for their life as the vehicle sinks.

ITV bosses have pulled out all the stops to make the storyline as dramatic as possible for viewers including dispatching a crew to cover an entire field with thick candle-wax, replicating the ice on the surface of a lake.

Producers are hoping the ‘nightmare’ scenes will have a ‘real impact’ with soap fans when they air next month.  

One soap insider told The Sun: ‘The bosses want viewers to have their hearts in their mouths when they see the car career off the road and into the water.

‘It’s a nightmare scenario and everything was done to make sure this was a scene with real impact. Hours were spent creating a layer of ice, then the actors spent hours out on the frozen field in the pitch black trying to do the storyline justice.

In horrifying scenes filmed last week, Leyla Harding, who portrays Roxy Shahidi, is one of three women who will be seen fighting for their life as the vehicle sinks 

‘It will be a real heartstopper moment when it airs in January.’

It comes after Roxy reportedly quit Emmerdale after 16 years and now insiders have claimed that her character Leyla will be killed off. 

Until now, the explosive circumstances of her exit had been kept secret. 

A source said last month: ‘Roxy has adored her time on the soap and has made so many happy memories since first joining when she was 17.

‘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.’

Over the years Roxy’s alter ego has briefly worked as a pole dancer but now has a career as an events planner. 

Some of her most prominent storylines include becoming a drug addict and being shot by the villainous Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu).

ITV bosses have pulled out all the stops to make the storyline as dramatic as possible for viewers including dispatching a crew to cover an entire field with thick candle-wax, replicating the ice on the surface of a lake  

It comes after Roxy reportedly quit Emmerdale after 16 years and now insiders have claimed that her character Leyla will be killed off

She has been on the soap since 2008 and her character is mother to Jacob Gallagher (Joe- Warren Plant) but this was not revealed until 2010

Over the years Roxy’s alter ego has briefly worked as a pole dancer but now has a career as an events planner (pictured alongside Isabel Hodgins as Victoria Sugden and Joe Warrne Plant as Jacob)

 Roxy competed on Dancing on Ice earlier this year (pictured with professional partner Slyvain Longchambon)

The character was married to Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) from 2021 until 2023, but the relationship ended when he was unfaithful.

Roxy’s character is the biological mother of Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant), but this was not revealed until 2010 as he had previously been adopted.  

Away from the Yorkshire-based soap, Roxy lives in Nottingham with her husband Arsher Ali, 40, and their six year old daughter.

She competed on Dancing on Ice earlier this year and made it to the fourth week of the competition, but badly injured her shoulder before bowing out. 

Roxy was one also of a string of soaps actresses to appear on the reality series Drama Queens. 

She featured alongside the likes of Coronation Street star Brooke Vincent, Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach and EastEnders legend Rita Simons. 

Prior to landing the role on Emmerdale, Roxy appeared in one episode of the short-lived BBC comedy drama Sinchronicity and has also acted on stage over the years.

But she previously noted just how much she ‘loved’ working on a soap because of how she got to develop a character in the long term. 

She said: ‘I absolutely love being in a soap like, because you’re able to grow your character over the years.

 It’s a process you don’t really get on many other dramas. 

‘And I’m so lucky to play Leyla, because she’s such a fun character.’