Emmerdale theory: Priya Sharma’s new career unveiled as she plans future away from village | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV
Priya (played by Fiona Wade) suffered a devastating end to the year last year on Emmerdale as she suffered life-changing burns to her body as a result of getting caught up in the maze fire. This has made the once confident woman a shell of her former self, with the character always covering up her scars to avoid what she believes will be judgement from others. However, as it seems the tables are going to turn in upcoming scenes on the ITV soap, she could find a new opportunity landing at her feet.
The drama begins next week as the day of Marlon Dingle’s (Mark Charnock) wedding to Rhona Goskirk (Zoë Henry) arrives.
A few weeks ago, Marlon made a pact with Priya that if he were to walk down the aisle unaided, she would have to dance without a jacket on.
Priya agreed to this and as she watches Marlon walk toward his future wife without any support, this gives her the courage to hold up her end of the bargain.
When the reception is underway, the beloved character removes her jacket to expose her back and the scars which have been left as a result of her injuries.
Instead of shying away from the dance floor, she embodies her confidence and enjoys being in the moment with everyone else.
READ MORE: Shetland’s Douglas Henshall finally explains why he quit BBC series
As she begins a new chapter of her life post the fire which changed her life, Priya might see everything from a brand new perspective.
This includes taking job opportunities when they arise, especially since she was recently fired from Take A Vow by Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi).
She could be surprised to receive an email asking her to meet with a company who are recruiting new models in London.
Priya could discover it was Marlon who asked Rhona to send the email to the company because she was so brave at his wedding.
After talking with Marlon about whether she would be able to do it, the chef would tell her to embrace life as you only get one chance.
Following the storyline which saw Priya suffer burns to her body, the actress who plays her, Fiona, spoke about the impact it would have on her character.
Fiona explained: “For Priya – and me, actually – it’s incredibly hard and heartbreaking as what she sees is just not her body.
“She doesn’t know who she is anymore. It’s her biggest nightmare. She feels incredibly isolated and she’s shutting everyone out.”
Recalling the moment she looked at her scars, the actress who plays Priya added: “It’s a really sad moment.
“It took two hours in make-up to do the scars, but I didn’t look at them before I went on set as I wanted to get the reaction.”
Discussing the importance of tackling the storyline, Fiona said: “It’s a huge responsibility to take on this storyline, portraying real people’s lives and situations real people are going through – it’s heavy.
“I feel a huge responsibility to do the storyline justice, for those who have scars in real life.
“The writers and producers are brilliant, something like this is taken very seriously, we have been working alongside Changing Faces charity, which is an organisation that supports anyone with a physical difference
“As an actor when you get a call about a big storyline, it’s always so wonderful and you think, ‘great, something to get my teeth into,” she told ITV’s This Morning.
Fiona addressed back in 2020 whether she would actually be ready to leave the show, having been there for over a decade.
Before the burns storyline came along, she said: “I’m happy there now. We’ll see. I’m very ambitious. There’s so much more to do.
“I’d like to have children. I’m aware there’s that space and time you have to grab to do,” she told The Mirror.
So two years later, it could be an opportunistic time for Priya and Fiona to bid farewell to the village for a new chapter to begin.
How will Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) and Rishi Sharma (Bhakser Patel) cope without the presence of their sister and daughter?
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV, with an hour-long episode airing on Thursdays.
