Leyla Harding (also Cavanagh) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Roxy Shahidi.

In July 2008, the Prestwich Advertiser reported that actress Roxy Shahidi had joined the cast of Emmerdale as Leyla Harding.

"[2] Emmerdale series producer Anita Turner added, "Rokhsaneh is a terrific actress and an exciting new addition to the cast.

She's easily led which can get her into trouble, but she's finally achieved her dream of buying the old farm shop, and is settling down with David at Farrers Barn.

[5] Shahidi told the Daily Mirror that she and Leyla are "quite similar in some ways" saying "We're both pretty ditsy and we have the same sense of fun.

[7] However, when she admits that she regrets cheating on David, Nathan warns that he will not let her forget what happened and begins a "campaign of manipulation".

[7] Of the plot, Ogbourne told the Press Association: "The switch between being such a seemingly nice guy and the malicious way he's controlling Leyla is quite horrific.

[11] Emmerdale series producer Gavin Blyth added that Alicia will start stirring things up in Leyla's life the minute she sets foot in the village.

[15] Speaking about the plot, Shahidi commented: "It's Leyla's fault because she hasn't listened to her sister's warnings about not letting Jacob eat anything because of his nut allergy.

[19] When asked how long she would be staying with the show, she quipped that Leyla would have "lots of exciting stuff" in 2014 and she and Anderson had spent time filming on location.

[20] She told Susan Hill from the Daily Star that she enjoyed the fact Leyla did not come back to the village straight away following her appearance at Christmas, saying "It means the viewers can see what she's been doing while she's been away.

Months later, colleague Lily Butterfield (Anne Charleston) sees Leyla leaving the building late at night and arriving very early.

Leyla starts work as deputy manager of the farm shop opened by Natasha Wylde (Amanda Donohoe) in the village.

On seeing Maisie's new shoes, Leyla was jealous and stole £250 from the shop for a pair, planning to put it back when she got paid.

Leyla later visited her sister's house and watched her with her husband, Justin, and young son, Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant).

She denies that she has an eating problem but finally confides in her and Leyla accompanies Priya to a scan, where they are told the baby is smaller than average, but unharmed.

She slaps Georgia Sharma (Trudie Goodwin), for snide remarks about Alicia dress sense, saying that is what made Lachlan attack her.

However, her feelings are challenged when she sees him violently grab Rachel Breckle's (Gemma Oaten) and threaten to murder her if she does not give him custody of their son, Archie.

Alicia returns to the village when Val is killed in a helicopter crash and is shocked by David's plans to stay and buy the shop back.

In April 2019, Leyla is involved in the soap's Big Night Out and attacks paedophile teacher Maya Stepney following the revelation that she had been grooming her student Jacob Gallagher throughout the end of 2018 and start of 2019.

Although they hoped that would put an end to it, Leyla and David struggled as Jacob still didn't see what Maya had done as anything wrong and was convinced they were in love.

Not even a month after their marriage, Liam's daughter Leanna dies on her 18th birthday, supposedly after falling off a bridge, later found out to have been murdered by Meena Jutla.

Leyla initially suspects that he is having an affair with Bernice, so follows him to the house and learns that he has been gardening where Leanna had planted a tree which was now fully grown.

Leyla, who had been planning their wedding, realises that something is not right when the location of the limousine they had hired was on the viaduct, and not on the way to Home Farm, where the reception was.

Afterwards, Leyla asks her what was wrong, and Suzy reveals that she knew Holly, and that she had given her the money for the heroine that killed her, thinking she was only going to buy cocaine.

Leyla reluctantly agress, although when she cannot cope, she encourages Jai Sharma to give her his old dealers number, supposedly to make him a better person and that she would burn it on a fire.

When she returns, they talk and agree that their marriage has come to the end of the line, and Liam informs Leyla that he has filed for divorce.

On New Year's Eve, she is about to tell Liam she still has feelings for him before fireworks go off and he and Bernice are together, which causes her to relapse in early 2023 and returns to message Callum for drugs, which Jacob finds out about and is furious.

They find her but also get trapped where the three are held at gunpoint, they all convince Callum to surrender, which he does, as they all move on and Leyla overcomes her addiction to drugs.

Her ex, Liam, plans to propose to Chas Dingle in an exciting way before disaster strikes in a limo crash, killing her in a frozen lake.