Emmerdale star Roxy Shahidi is leaving the long-running series after 16 years.

The actress plays Leyla Harding in the ITV soap and sources have claimed she wants to “spread her wings”. She joined the cast in August 2008 and left in August 2011. She returned to two episodes in December 2013 and reprised the role on a permanent basis in January 2014.

Her character went through many storylines including being a pole dancer, being shot and developing a drug habit. Roxy, who is married to actor Arsher Ali and shares a six-year-old daughter with him, previously discussed her love of the programme. Roxy explained: “I absolutely love being in a soap like Emmerdale, because you’re able to grow your character over the years.

“It’s a process you don’t really get on many other dramas. And I’m so lucky to play Leyla, because she’s such a fun character.” And now, a source has revealed that the star is moving onto new things. They said: “Roxy has adored her time on the soap and has made so many happy memories since first joining.

Roxy Shahidi as Leyla Harding in Emmerdale

“The cast have become like family to her and she has grown so much as an actress, but now feels like the perfect time to spread her wings and try something new. She is really excited about her meaty exit storyline, which will see her character Leyla die on screen. She’d rather go out in a blaze of glory and be remembered,” they added to The Sun. The Mirror have reached out to ITV for comment.

Earlier this year, she joined Dancing On Ice as a contestant. During one of the rehearsal breaks, she took a trip to the ITV studios and shared a clip with her Instagram followers. In the video, she filmed herself walking before panning up to the ITV studio building. She captioned the post: “Just popped to Emmerdale. Missing this place.”

It comes as fans noticed that Roxy’s character has been missing for months. Leyla is mum to Jacob Gallagher and is the ex-wife of Liam Cavanagh. After the breakdown of her marriage, she became a central storyline where viewers got to see her addiction to drugs. Last year, she tried to take down drug dealer Callum but she ended up being taken hostage.

But now, fans realise they haven’t seen her on screens since the end of July. Meanwhile, the actress has been busy with other projects such as ITVBe’s Drama Queens and more.