Is Rebecca leaving Emmerdale?

Emmerdale’s Rebecca Sarker is not leaving the series, but she was integral in the exit story of her onscreen sister, Meena Jutla, played by Paige Sandhu.

Contents

• Overview
• What is Emmerdale?
• Is Rebecca leaving Emmerdale?
• Rebecca Sarker’s abrasiveness on possible exit
• Rebecca Sarker stays and Paige Sandhu leaves Emmerdale
• Rebecca Sarker bids farewell to Paige Sandhu
• Final thoughts

Overview

Soapies are popular for having beloved characters come and go from the story. Sometimes the original actor returns to reprise their role or a new actor steps into the role. It is a well-known trope in the genre, but often fans do not want to see their favorite actors and actresses leave.

It was this concern that led fans to wonder whether Emmerdale actress, Rebecca Sarker, in the role of  Manpreet Sharma, would die and leave the show in January 2022. However, it was merely the beginning of the exit story of her onscreen sister, Meena, played by Paige Sandhu.

What Is Emmerdale?

Regarded as one of the longest-running soapies to have come out in the United Kingdom, Emmerdale first premiered on the ITV channel in 1972 and has been airing ever since.

However, the show was not always known as Emmerdale, as it was initially called Emmerdale Farm, to reference that it was imagined as a rural setting, compared to the longest-running soapie in the world, Coronation Street, which is set in Manchester.

Emmerdale was created by Kevin Laffan and its premise is, “A soap opera set in a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales.”

Is Rebecca leaving Emmerdale?

Rebecca Sarker is now beloved for her role as Manpreet Sharma, first introduced as Manpreet Jutla on Emmerdale in 2018. The character was introduced as the love interest of the already established main character, Rishi Sharma, who she eventually married.

In January 2022, fans were worried about the fate of the beloved character, as it seemed that her life in the narrative might have been coming to a close.

This is because she was held captive and tortured by her villainous sister, Meena Jutla, after she was discharged into her care from hospital.

However, it was not Rebecca that was leaving the show, but Meena. The storyline served as the beginning of her exit in the story as Paige Sandhu bid farewell to her polarising character in April 2022.

Rebecca Sarker’s Abrasiveness On Possible Exit

When speculation arose that Rebecca Sarker was set to leave the role of Manpreet Sharma in January 2022, there was no official news released from the show.

Seemingly, that only made fans of the show more determined to find out if Rebecca was leaving. Knowing she was not leaving but feeding into the intrigue of fans, Rebecca shared:

“I think Manpreet is more beneficial to Meena alive than dead because she can always turn back to her sister and have a little meddle with her and mess up her life because that’s what she likes to do.”

Rebecca Sarker Stays And Paige Sandhu Leaves Emmerdale

In April 2022, Paige Sandhu finally bid farewell to her ‘loved-to-be-hated’ character on Emmerdale, Meena Jutla.

In the story, Meena was finally sentenced and sent to prison after it was discovered that she was the serial killer responsible for the death of three of the town villagers.

Producers of the show suggested that Meena being sent to prison was a better alternative than killing off the character, as it was a worse punishment than death in the eyes of the character.

Considering that the actress just bid farewell to the character, it might be a while before she comes back to potentially reprise her role in some form or another.

Rebecca Sarker Bids Farewell To Paige Sandhu

Considering that Manpreet Sharma was the introduction of Meena, the two spent a lot of television time together. Especially since Manpreet was the catalyst of Meena’s exit story.

In light of this, Rebecca shared a word after the news of Sandhu’s exit was confirmed.

The actress was quoted as saying, “Of course, I’m going to miss her. I think the show will miss her. I always say that. But I don’t think it’ll be long before we see her on our screens again in some other incarnation.”

Final Thoughts

Emmerdale is a soapie and, as such, it is common for fans to see characters come and go. However, the exits of beloved characters are either shared beforehand in order to give the actor playing the character time to enjoy and wholesomely conclude their time in the role, or it is shared as a surprise in the character’s final episode.

Therefore, in January 2022, fans were worried when it seemed that Manpreet would leave the soapie when her life was in danger at the hands of her sister, Meena. But it was just the beginning of the exit story for Meena, who left the show in April 2022.