Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi (Emmerdale's Leyla) interview
Next week on Emmerdale, Leyla (Roksaneh Ghawam-Shahidi) risks Jacob's life when she doesn’t listen to Alicia.
> Read our interview with Natalie Anderson, who plays Alicia.
> Find out the latest Emmerdale spoilers.
It must be wonderful for Leyla having her own son living under her roof?
“Yes but I don’t think she regards Jacob as her own son, exactly. She handed him over to Alicia when he was just a few months old and now he’s six - that’s a long time. However Leyla can’t help herself from getting close to Jacob. This is really getting to Alicia who obviously feels insecure about Leyla’s role. It's a difficult situation - especially as Leyla and David's relationship is still under stress.”
What happens when Alicia pops home on her break and finds Leyla has put Jacob to bed?
“It causes a lot of tension - as is what always happens when Leyla does something for Jacob. She, Alicia, is the mum while Leyla is just the aunty. Alicia is paranoid because Leyla is Jacob’s birth mother, she’s hyper-sensitive. Leyla doesn’t really take this into account.”
What happens when Alicia lets Leyla take Jacob to TJ's party and he has a severe allergic reaction to some cake?
“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. Alicia’s told her several times that she must watch Jacob like a hawk, but Leyla’s like ‘Yeah, whatever!’ It’s a situation that could have been avoided if only she’d listened to Alicia.”
Jacob’s rushed to hospital and he’s OK but does Leyla understand why Alicia’s so cross with her?
“She does but she finds it very hard to admit it. She feels so stupid it ever happened in the first place. She’s really mad with herself for being so irresponsible and not listening to Alicia. But what it does is help shock Leyla into the reality of the situation - that Leyla is Jacob’s mum and needs to be listened to. It reinforces their roles if you like.”
Can Leyla accept that she has to be content with the role of aunty?
“Yes - I honestly don’t think she wants more. She doesn’t want to take Jacob off Alicia - not that she could, anyway as Jacob's adopted. Leyla’s got to learn to be less full-on. She mustn’t keep indulging and spoiling him.“
> Read our previous interview with Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi.
