Emmerdale Leyla star Roxy Shahidi celebrates 'year with this little guy' after exit

Emmerdale star Roxy Shahidi has taken to social media to mark a special milestone just weeks after her character was killed off in a tragic storyline on the ITV soap

Emmerdale's Roxy Shahidi, known for her role as Leyla Harding, has taken to social media to celebrate an adorable personal milestone, not long after her character tragically died in a shocking storyline.

The limo crash last month proved fatal for Leyla, with her business partner Suzy Merton (played by Martelle Edinborough) and friend Amy Barton (portrayed by Natalie Ann Jamieson) also meeting their end.

Roxy expressed her surprise about her soap departure, confessing: "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."

The actress recently made her Instagram followers smile by posting cute photos of her dog, Mr Cooper, celebrating one year since his arrival into her family. Fans were quick to gush over the little canine, leaving heartwarming comments under the post.

One follower questioned, "Where did you rescue him from please? Happy adoptaversary." Another shared their own connection, saying, "He's absolutely gorgeous. We have similar, a caramel cockapoo Scarlet. We have had her just over a year too.", reports Leeds Live.

Others continued to shower praise with comments like "He's a gorgeous pup x" and "Aww he's adorable." while someone else chimed in with "Your a wee cutie."

Reflecting on her impactful final Emmerdale scenes, Roxy opened up about working with on-screen son Joe-Warren Plant, who plays Jacob Gallagher.

Despite her character's death, she couldn't hold back real tears during filming, revealing that while she was "supposed to be dead" tears streamed down her face.

She opened up to The Sun, saying: "Of course it's sad to see my character die, and I have loved playing Leyla because she is so funny, camp and a brilliant character.

"But at the same time, if I had left it another five years, I might not have felt as excited as I do now.

"I have had a long time to process everything and I am looking forward to my next chapter. I've always wanted to explore other things and now I've got the opportunity."

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and available to stream from 7am on ITVX