| Leyla Harding | |||||||||||||||||
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| Emmerdale character | |||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Roxy Shahidi | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2008–2011, 2013–2025 | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 11 August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 6 March 2025 | ||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Keith Richardson (2008) Kate Oates (2013) | ||||||||||||||||
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Leyla Harding (also Cavanagh) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Roxy Shahidi. She made her first on-screen appearance on 11 August 2008 and was introduced by series producer, Anita Turner. The character departed on 5 August 2011. Shahidi returned to Emmerdale for two episodes on 25 December 2013. She returned full-time in January 2014. On 5 January 2018, Shahadi took maternity leave from the show whilst pregnant with her first child. She returned on 3 October 2018. In October 2024, it was announced that Shahidi would be leaving the soap and Leyla was killed-off in the episode broadcast on 19 February 2025, following a limousine crash.