Emmerdale cast: Who plays Aiesha Richards? Who is Shila Iqbal?
EMMERDALE star Shila Iqbal has only just joined the ITV soap as Aiesha Richards but the star has been fired from the new role. But who is Shila Iqbal and why may fans recognise the actress?
Emmerdale: Manpreet is asked about the company credit card
Aiesha Richards (played by Shila Iqbal) rejoined the cast of Emmerdale in 2019 as Manpreet's (Rebecca Sarker) daughter moved into the village. Fans of the ITV soap first saw Aiesha back in 2018 when she starred in a handful of episodes following her on-screen mum's romance with Rishi Sharma (Bhaskar Patel). However, the Emmerdale actress has been "fired from the ITV soap for racist tweets" just a matter of weeks into her return. Iqbal departure from the ITV soap is currently up in the air. In the meantime, here's all you need to know about Iqbal and the character of Aiesha.
Who plays Aiesha Richards on Emmerdale?
Aiesha is played by actor Shila Iqbal as the character returns for her second stint on the ITV soap.
Emmerdale’s newest character is set for a frosty reception on her return to the Dales.
ITV viewers will see Aiesha return in the midst of a tense family feud between Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) and his dad Rishi.
Jai has remained sceptical about his father’s romance with Manpreet and tensions boiled over in Aiesha's returning episode.
Aiesha’s return will undoubtedly heighten tension between Jai and his fellow family members.
Iqbal’s character is set to stay in the fictional village for a while, however, with the actor confirming Aiesha will be a series regular on her Twitter page.
The Emmerdale cast member retweeted a tweet confirming the new role as well as a message of her own regarding her return to the ITV soap.
The actor wrote: “Guess who’s back?! AIESHA’s back! So happy to be back at @emmerdale. Tune in next week!”
Emmerdale is just the latest of a number of high-profile roles on Iqbal’s CV with several feature-length films and TV series under her belt.
Iqbal will appear in the star-studded movie Eaten by Lions, which premiered in the UK on Friday, March 29.
The cast includes Britain’s Got Talent runner-up Jack Carroll, EastEnders’ Nitin Ganatra, and BAFTA-nominee Asim Chaudhry.
Game of Thrones star Kevin Eldon, former Coronation Street actress Hayley Tamaddon, and comedian Johnny Vegas also star.
On the small screen, the returning Emmerdale star appeared in BBC’s Citizen Khan and Sky Arts series Playhouse Presents.
Aiesha’s comeback falls at the same time as a number of gripping storylines currently unfolding on the ITV soap.
The Emmerdale cast has welcomed a number of newcomers in 2019 including Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards), Max (Jordan Reece), Natalie (Thea Beyleveld) and Hilary Benshaw (Gabrielle Glaister).
There's also the addition of Kim Tate's (Claire King) son James Tate (Alexander Lincoln) to come in the next few weeks.
Emmerdale viewers have witnessed the controversial grooming plot between Maya (Louisa Clein) and Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) develop.
This has been further complicated by Leanna Cavanagh (Mimi Slinger) taking an interest in Jacob's love life.
Jacob and Maya’s age gap means the former was just a teen when his school teacher manipulated him into a relationship.
While Maya is tipped to be found out in the coming weeks, some soap fans are even predicting Clein’s character could fall pregnant.
There’s also the ongoing mystery surrounding Joe Tate’s (Ned Porteous) whereabouts following Kim Tate’s return.
Kim discovered Joe was still alive and could return to the village thanks to Graham (Andrew Scarborough).
This has also led to fears Graham could leave the ITV soap in the near future.
Emmerdale continues on weeknights at 7pm on ITV.