The news that Priya Kotecha would be leaving the fictional Yorkshire village devastated viewers.
After Fiona Wade’s departure from the show was made official this week, Emmerdale fans were inconsolable.
Since she first joined the cast as Priya Sharma in 2011, the soap star has established herself as a fan favorite on the enduring ITV program. Since then, she has been a pivotal character in a number of significant storylines, including her tumultuous marriage to Rakesh Kotecha.
As a result of being targeted by the evil Meena Jutla, the character has recently struggled with confidence issues. She will be filming her final scenes in the coming months, ITV confirmed to Digital Spy, signaling the dramatic end of her time in the made-up Yorkshire village.
Fiona’s departure from the soap opera has not been made public, but it is assumed that she wants to pursue other career opportunities. After Fiona’s departure was officially announced, Emmerdale fans paid tribute on Twitter. Gutted to hear that @FionaWade_ will be leaving #Emmerdale, I hope Priya has a good exit and not just a ride in a taxi, said Darren.
Thankfully, Fiona’s life outside of the Yorkshire village is less dramatic than it appears on screen. In real life, she is happily married to Simon Cotton, despite the fact that she has had a number of disastrous relationships on television.
Simon may be recognizable to soap opera fans from his time as Home Farm client Hugh Bryant in Emmerdale. When Rebecca White organized a team-building day for them at Tree Top Adventure World in 2017, the character first appeared on the program.
Hugh’s plans to evaluate Rebecca’s managerial abilities were adversely affected when his car caught fire and he decided to end his relationship with Home Farm. The actor has also appeared in Doctors, The Unseen, The Fall Of The Krays, and Hanna on Amazon Prime.
After getting married in 2019, Fiona and Simon frequently post pictures of their happy family life on Instagram. When Fiona revealed in March that Simon gave her a romantic vacation as a gift for turning 43, everyone gasped.
A lovely, unwinding birthday weekend away, she said. I’m grateful, my love.
Fans praised Fiona in the comments because they believed the soap opera star, Priya Kotecha, who is only 35 in the show, was younger. At the time, one woman wrote in a Facebook Emmerdale fan group: “You appear much younger! Enjoy this special day,” someone else said, adding: “Wow, 43? In my estimation, she was in her late 20s. Keep doing whatever you’re doing; it’s effective.”
“Happy birthday you don’t look 43 omg lovely lady have a great day,” another soap opera fan wrote. a fourth was added: “Fiona, happy birthday. When I first read about her, it said she was 42. I assumed there had been a typing error and that they meant 32.”
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