Fiona Wade has been starring in Emmerdale as Priya Sharma for the past 11 years.
Emmerdale’s businesswoman Priya Sharma (played by Fiona Wade) has been living in the Yorkshire Dales for more than a decade and has been at the heart of a number of major storylines. Her time has now come to leave Emmerdale behind with her departure due to air in upcoming episodes. Express.co.uk has all there is to know about Fiona Wade’s exit.
Why is Fiona Wade leaving Emmerdale as Priya Sharma?
Fiona Wade’s departure from Emmerdale was first announced in October 2022.
Given the fact Wade has been playing Priya for 11 years, viewers were surprised to hear she would no longer be part of the cast.
Up until now, the 43-year-old had stayed quiet on the reasons behind why she was leaving the ITV soap.
With her final scenes almost ready to air, Wade has since explained it was her decision to go.
The actress clarified she wanted to take on different acting roles.
“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make,” Wade explained.
“Leaving my Emmerdale family is a big thing and it wasn’t easy filming my last scenes.
“When you’ve been somewhere for that long and that’s your every day, it’s hard and feels sad. But as every actor
knows, you need to challenge yourself and that’s very important too.”
Wade added: “There are so many blessings that come your way when you’re in a show like Emmerdale.
“To be given a character that you can make yours, to have fantastic writers that enable you to grow in this amazing character.
“Plus, the friends you make and the experiences you have are invaluable.”
As predicted, Priya isn’t going to leave the show quietly as there is a showdown between her and David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden).
Priya is left traumatised at a Take A Vow event when a veil catches on fire and she is reminded of her ordeal in the maize maze fire back in 2021.
Since recovering from the incident, she has decided to be more open about what happened and tells her client Justin.
He is left so impressed by her honesty, he offers Priya a job in London which she decides to take.
This doesn’t go down well with David though who takes drastic action in order to stop her and his daughter Amba leaving.
He kidnaps Amba and his son Theo but thankfully, Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) is able to track him down to a cottage.
She begs him to return with the children and it seems like he is listening to her.
However, he soon changes his mind and locks Leyla in the bathroom as Priya calls the police.
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