Shila Iqbal has thanked certain members of the Emmerdale cast for reaching out and showing her support since she was fired from the soap earlier this month.
After making her Emmerdale debut as Aiesha Richards last summer, it was revealed two weeks ago that Shila had been axed from the soap, due to offensive tweets she posted in 2013, when she was 19 years old.
Emmerdale’s spokesperson said at the time: “As a consequence of historic social media posts Shila Iqbal has left her role as Aiesha Richards.
“The programme took the decision not to renew her contract as soon as these posts were brought to the company’s attention.”
In a post on her Instagram Story over the weekend, Shila thanked those who had been there for her since she was sacked, writing: “Thank you so much for all your kind messages.
“And thank you to everyone who has privately messaged me, I’m so sorry I can’t reply to you I have read each and every one and I just want to say to everyone, honestly your kindness has given me strength.”
Although she didn’t offer specific names, she continued: “And thank you to my friends at Emmerdale who have reached out and are still constantly checking up on me... I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
Earlier this week, an Emmerdale rep responded to claims made by Shila that the support she was offered after being fired might not have been sufficient.
They insisted: “We offered Shila Iqbal support when this situation happened. We asked her if there was anyone we could contact who could come in and support her, a relative or friend. We also said she could call any of us at any time.
“She repeatedly said she was fine and didn’t want any help. We also immediately contacted her agent who offered her advice and support.”