Fiona Wade has revealed her marriage to actor husband Simon Cotton helped her to walk away from Emmerdale after 11 years.
The actress, 43, who played Priya Sharma, met her husband, 38, after he joined the ITV soap briefly in 2017.
She quit leaving her character to head off to a new life in London with her daughter Amba.
She told Hello!: ‘Simon is a fantastic person to have by my side. I’m sure I drive him crazy, but he is so good at talking me through things.
‘I respect his opinion – on everything. He didn’t falter once in supporting my decision to leave Emmerdale. If I was ever having a wobble, he was always there, reminding me that it was right for me.’
Fiona explained how Simon helped push her out of her comfort zone as she looks for future roles away from Emmerdale.
Following her exit, she took to social media and penned: ‘It’s been the most incredible 11 years playing Priya Sharma so saying goodbye to my Emmerdale family wasn’t easy.
‘I have loved playing Priya and I am so thankful to @emmerdale & @itv for the incredible opportunities that they have given me over so many years. So many wonderful memories and such a gift of a job.
‘Thank you to Reece Dinsdale, Abe Jukes & @gsiougas who were my wonderful directors on my last week, Thank you for your compassion and great direction as always!
‘Thank you to the whole Emmerdale team you are all amazing! To my beautiful friends that I take with me, Thank you for being there it meant the world.
‘To my wonderful Sharma family @chrisbisson @bhaskerpatel @rebeccasarker @rik_makarem #TrudieGoodwin You know how much I love you.. Thank you for everything!
‘And to all the Emmerdale viewers Thank you for all your support over the years. ❤️ ‘Here’s to the next chapter!’
