Two former Emmerdale stars have teased an exciting project together. Matthew Wolfenden played the role of David Metcalfe for 18 years before departing the soap in 2023.
The actor decided to step away from the series after 18 years to focus on his next project. He took to the stage as he portrayed Buddy the Elf in the revival of the musical based on the 2003 film, co-starring Will Ferrell.
At the time, speaking about the emotional challenge of saying farewell, Matthew revealed that parting ways, especially with Joe-Warren [Plant], who plays Jacob, was particularly emotional. Another character who recently bid farewell to the fictional village and had to say goodbye to Joe is Roxy Shahidi.
She played the role of Leyla Harding on the ITV soap, a role she had played for 17 years. Suzy Merton (Martelle Edinborough), Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson) and Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) lost their lives in the disaster, which saw their vehicle get stuck in the middle of an icy lake.
David Metcalfe and Leyla Harding were in a relationship on Emmerdale, and they shared Jacob together. The two have a close relationship off screen and despite neither being on the soap anymore, they have stayed in contact.
In a new post uploaded to Instagram stories, Matthew has shared a picture of him and Roxy sat together on a sofa. The caption says: “Just me and my bestie @RoxyShahidi enjoying each others company!”, alongside a laughing emoji.
He added “Please follow our new Instagram account @MattandRoxy’s. Not a lot on their at the moment but there will be!!” The actor included the hashtags “‘#newbeginnings” and “#Excitingtimesahead.”
The new Instagram page links to a podcast landing page the two had launched in 2024. The Instagram page is close to hitting 1,000 followers and two videos have already been uploaded.
One uploaded last week prompted viewers to ask them anything for a video and another said “Thanks for all your questions today…Click the link in bio to listen to season 1 of Celebrity Side Hustles!”
New episodes from the podcast haven’t been uploaded since last year, but the on-screen couple appear to be in the process of starting them up again. After leaving the ITV soap, Roxy has been vocal about their future.
When asked if she would like to star in another soap, the actress told Inside Soap magazine: “Maybe ‘Coronation Street or maybe Waterloo Road as that’s a good drama and a bit different”, before adding “Also, I’m from Manchester!”
Roxy is currently focusing on her own yoga business, she regularly shares videos on social media of her business venture. As well as doing more podcasts with Matthew Wolfenden.
The actress, who has a six-year-old daughter with husband Arsher Ali said: “I’ve set up a yoga business, Yoga Rox, and I want to travel with that and teach. I’m excited about doing more podcasts with Matthew Wolfenden. I just would like to do lots of different things now I can.”
Since leaving Emmerdale, Roxy has been stopped in the street numerous times by fans of the show who have been disappointed by her exit. Talking about her reaction to fans, she said it was “bittersweet” and “you want to feel like the character you’ve played for so long is leaving that impact.”