Emmerdale: ‘work out’ return of villager after Leyla Harding is k.i.l.l.e.d off
Emmerdale fans are convinced a familiar face will return to the village following the d.e.a.t.h of Leyla Harding.
In a devastating twist for Emmerdale enthusiasts, Leyla Harding (portrayed by Roxi Shahihi) met her tragic end in the latest episode, leaving fans to speculate on the potential return of Alicia Metcalfe (Natalie Anderson) after witnessing Leyla’s son Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) in anguish over his mother’s demise.
The gripping scenes, available on ITVX, showed Jacob in utter despair as he discovered his mother was one of the casualties of the horrific limo crash that also claimed the life of her business partner, Suzy (Martelle Edinborough).
As the drama unfolded with several villagers’ lives hanging in the balance, Jacob’s desperate pleas to “save her” fell on deaf ears when it was too late; Leyla had already been declared d.e.a.d upon arrival at the hospital.
“Mum, can you hear me?” Jacob cried out. “Mum, I am here. She is still warm, why are you just stood there? You should be trying to save her!”
“She’s gone,” came the grim confirmation from his colleague, prompting Jacob’s heart-wrenching response: “No, you don’t understand, you don’t know how tough she is,” reports Leeds Live.
Jacob Gallagher on Emmerdale (Image: ITV)
“She wouldn’t leave me,” he continued, tears streaming down his face. “She wouldn’t leave her son.”
Despite the doctor’s attempts to soothe him, Jacob’s grief was palpable as he yelled, “Let me help her!”
“Jacob, you need to stop, your mum passed away before she arrived at the hospital,” the doctor explained. “She d.i.e.d from severe bloody loss. I am sorry.”
Following the emotional episode, social media has been abuzz with fan theories, many suggesting that either Alicia or David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden) might come back to support Jacob through this harrowing time.
Natalie Anderson had an integral role in Emmerdale (Image: TV Grab)
Speculation is rife among fans on a Facebook group, with one member musing: “I wonder if David will make an appearance to support Jacob.”
Others chimed in with their own theories, including: “I think I saw David was possibly returning.”
Some are also hoping for the return of another character, with one fan suggesting: “I want Alicia to come back and support him.”
Alicia, Leyla’s sister and Jacob’s adoptive mother, left the village with her son in September 2015 for a new life in Portugal. However, Jacob returned to the village just a year later, unhappy with his life abroad.
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7.30pm on ITV.
