Roxy Shahidi strugged with 'sense of identity' after Emmerdale departure
Roxy Shahidi struggled with her "sense of identity" after leaving Emmerdale earlier this year following 17 years in the soap.
Roxy Shahidi struggled with her "sense of identity" after leaving Emmerdale.
The 42-year-old actress left her role as Leyla Harding in February after 17 years on the soap, and she admitted it took her some time to adjust to what her life is like now but she is thankful for her new career teaching yoga online as the practice has helped her to navigate her "grief, loss and uncertainty" surrounding her new chapter.
She candidly wrote on Instagram: “This time last year, I was coming to terms with having to leave this lot behind. Not just colleagues, but friends and family.
“Playing Layla wasn’t just a job; she was a huge part of my identity, and some days I spent more time being her than being myself.
“Losing that sense of identity was hard, but long walks with [my dog] Mr Cooper gave me space to breathe, reflect and stay hopeful.
“Yoga once again became my anchor on the hardest days, moving my body helped me move through grief, loss and uncertainty.
“Now YogaRox has grown into a new home, a new family, and a new sense of self.
“I don’t know exactly how I’ll get there, but I know where I’m going. Thank you to everyone who’s supported me through a year of challenge, growth, and transformation; here’s to 2026.”
Leyla passed away in the Valentine's Day episode limousine crash and Roxy previously admitted she was "very shocked" when she was told her alter ego was being killed off.
She told The Sun newspaper: "When I first found out, I was very shocked. I had been in the show for a long time and I wasn’t expecting this news.
“Emmerdale becomes a fabric of your existence to a huge degree.
“It’s not just about the joy of the work, it’s the joy of the people and community.
“There are times when you have a big story where you will spend more time with your work family than you do at home.”
The former Dancing on Ice contestant recalled actually crying on set when she filmed her last scenes and became "ill" in the days that followed.
She said: "But at one point, I was supposed to be dead and I had tears streaming down my eyes. I was a weeping corpse.
“We filmed the crash at night and unfortunately I was ill for four days.
“I’d only ever had one day off in the 16 years I had been there, and I was worried this would cause a big issue. But our producer, Laura Shaw, was amazing."
