Emmerdale star confesses ‘it was time to go’ in message to fans reflecting on exit from ITV soap

An Emmerdale star has told fans fans ‘it was time to go’ when opening up about their exit from the show.

Emmerdale favourite Fiona Wade has reflected on her two years away from the soap. Millions know Fiona Wade, 46, as Priya Sharma in Emmerdale, a role she portrayed in the ITV soap between 2011 and 2023.

Since leaving Emmerdale, Fiona has enjoyed a variety of acting parts, on stage and screen. She has tread the boards in 2:22 – A Ghost Story and now audiences are watching Fiona appear in Picture You Dead. In Yorkshire, Picture You Dead has just completed a stint at Sheffield’s Lyecum Theatre. It is also being staged at Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre later this summer from Tuesday, July 8 until Saturday, July 12. You can find out more and buy tickets here.

The play has been adapted from writer Peter James’ bestselling novel about Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. Never before seen on stage or screen, Picture You Dead’s story was inspired when Peter James met real-life former master art forger, and now acclaimed copyist, David Henty.

Fiona plays Freya Kipling who naively attracts the attention of dodgy dealers after buying a potentially multi-million-pound masterpiece at a car boot sale. We recently chatted to Fiona Wade about her Emmerdale exit and her career since.

Fiona explained: “I’ve always said this, Emmerdale was a gift of a job and it was amazing. I spent many years there and it was time to go.

“I wanted to experience new things and grow a bit, as an actor again, and feel like I was being challenged. It is really important as an actor to have that. I feel I’ve got it.

“I’ve been doing theatre and a little bit of television in-between. There’s nothing that prepares you again like theatre. Getting you back out there feeling challenged, a bit scared and excited. It has been varied the last couple of years.

“I’m very thankful that after leaving Emmerdale it worked. It has been everything I’ve hoped for so far and I’ve still got lots I want to do.”

Fiona’s first major job post-Emmerdale was 2:22 – A Ghost Story. Fiona said: “It was amazing. It was really great. It was also my first job after finishing Emmerdale – it was a biggie, it was quite important. It was great.

“I did a lot of theatre before I got Emmerdale many, many years ago. I didn’t know if I could do that again. So, it was a personal challenge for me.

“Then to Picture You Dead, you think I’ve done it (theatre) once and I’ve got through that ‘can I do it again?’. Equally, this has just been amazing as well. There’s been little personal challenges along the way that I really wanted and I feel like I have grown from that. It’s a great thing. I feel really, really lucky and thankful that I’ve been able to do both – theatre and television. Very thankful.”

And for those looking forward to seeing Fiona in her latest play, Picture You Dead, star Fiona has offered a tease to fans. She concluded: “If you like a crime thriller and a good crime story then this is definitely for you. It’s fantastic, it’s got a bit of everything. It’s got shock factor, a few jump scares but it’s also a lot of fun with giggles along the way.

“I think it follows a very relatable, normal, lovely couple. The kind that just find themselves wrapped up in the dark world of the arts world.

“It all just unfolds. People can relate, in a way, as the characters are relatable. At the same time, the characters’ story is just fun and really good. Peter James writes good crime thrillers. I love those stories. If you like that, it’s definitely for you.”