Priya & Leyla: drama in store…
It’s the love triangle that has Emmerdale fans in a frenzy – but Fiona Wade and Roxy Shahidi are already looking forward to the fallout…
It doesn’t matter how Priya tries to justify it – when she slept with best mate Leyla’s boyfriend Pete, she broke the first rule of the girl code! While we understand she was fed up with dull Rakesh, and in a bad place mentally, that doesn’t excuse bedding the fella you know your close pal is in love with.
Now Priya just can’t stop making eyes at Pete behind Leyla’s back – and when Leyla issues a shock marriage proposal to her stunned other half this week, Priya and Pete find themselves in a bit of a pickle! Inside Soap recently caught up with Emmerdale co-stars and real-life besties Fiona Wade (Priya) and Roxy Shahidi (Leyla) to get the gossip on a romantic mess that’s bound to bring big drama to the village…
Were you shocked to discover that Priya and Pete were going to have this steamy affair?
Roxy I love working with Fiona, so I was excited that she was going to ruin my life! I’m really looking forward to Leyla finding out. She’s not going to take it lying down, that’s for sure.
Fiona It’s awful what Priya is doing, I’m sorry! When I first saw the scripts, I thought, ‘Gosh, we are going to fight and have to hate each other!’. It’s going to be different because we normally have giggly, girlie scenes. I am glad we’re working together lots, though.
We can’t believe that Priya would do this to Leyla – they’ve been through so much together.
Roxy I think it’s particularly awful because they’re such good friends, not just friends in passing! Leyla was there for Priya through her eating disorder and her break-up with Rakesh. I know Leyla has done the same thing in the past to Megan by having an affair with Jai, but that doesn’t make any difference to what’s been done here.
Fiona It’s really bad. Leyla isn’t just Priya’s only true friend, she’s her go-to person in any situation. I don’t know how things play out far ahead, but I do think Priya is going to wind up friendless in the end. She’s got a lot of insecurities and she’s been through a lot. In the moment when she and Pete hooked up, I don’t think she even thought about Leyla. She’s feeling awful now, though.
We must attribute some blame to Pete in all this! We always thought he was the nice Barton boy…
Roxy It is quite surprising that he’s doing this, considering what he went through with Debbie! He’s never been the bad guy. I wonder if, deep down, he’s trying to sabotage his relationship with Leyla because he’s scared she’ll hurt him like Debbie did? Or it could just be because Priya is gorgeous and he can’t resist her!
The story takes a turn this week when one of the Takea-vow weddings is cancelled and Leyla suggests to Pete that they get married instead. How does Priya feel?
Fiona It’s super-awkward as she walks in at the tail end of Leyla’s proposal! It’s really hard for her because by this point, Priya is beginning to have feelings for Pete. She’s quite hurt by everything that’s gone on.
Roxy Leyla is blind to what’s been going on with this affair. She knows Pete’s not 100 per cent ready for this, but she decides to lock him down! I just think she wants to get married because that’s everything she’s ever wanted. In every relationship she’s had, she’s been keen to get marriage things done. This time with Pete, she’s thinking, ‘Let’s roll the dice and maybe I’ll win!’.
Is it true that the slot available is for a unicorn wedding?
Roxy It is, and I really wanted that to happen when I read it! It was going to be set in a forest, and we would have had to dance round a fire and do a ritual, with loads of unicorns. It sounds amazing, but Pete doesn’t take the hint. Leyla would have got on that, no problem – she’s ridiculous! But at this moment, her dream wedding is just Pete saying, “Yes, I’ll marry you!”.
This is soapland, so the truth is bound to come out eventually! Are you prepared for the ultimate Leyla vs Priya catfight?
Fiona We can’t wait! We have these conversations on set where we talk about it all. I really think Priya would win – because I’m strong!
Roxy She’s not. We had an arm wrestle once and she was like, “I can’t believe you beat me”. Genuinely!
Are you worried about the backlash from Emmerdale fans, Fiona?
Fiona Not really, because it’s all good drama. If I’m causing a stir with this storyline, I’m doing my job right. Sometimes you think to yourself, ‘Oh no, people don’t like me!’, but it’s my character and they’re not meant to like what Priya is doing right now.
Roxy If they’ve got a passionate opinion, you are definitely doing it right. If everyone liked every character all the time, it would be boring.
It will be sad to see the girls fall out. Do you think there is any hope that they’ll get through this?
Roxy Leyla will rage and scream and do God-knows-what! But I’m interested to see whether they can repair the relationship . It’s such a long-standing friendship and I reckon Leyla will be more hurt by Priya’s betrayal than Pete’s.
Fiona Leyla confides in Priya a lot, and probably thinks that she can trust her with anything. I really hope that they can move on from this…
“Leyla is completely blind to what’s been going on with this affair!” ROXY