Leila Roy | |||||||||||||
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Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Lena Kaur | ||||||||||||
Duration | 2008–2010 | ||||||||||||
First appearance | 24 June 2008 | ||||||||||||
Last appearance | 8 January 2010 | ||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||
Introduced by | Bryan Kirkwood | ||||||||||||
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Leila Roy is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks , played by Lena Kaur. The character made her first appearance in June 2008. [1] In November 2009, it was announced that Kaur had decided to leave Hollyoaks. Lena made her last appearance as Leila in January 2010. [2] [3]
Leila was born in 1989 to Govinda and Bel Roy. She is their eldest daughter and sister to Ash, Ravi and Anita. Leila, a keen artist, had told her father that she was at college studying a law course in order to retrieve his dream of her becoming a lawyer. When Leila was four, Gov and Bel adopted Anita, who Leila grew up believing to be her sister.
Regular role auditions were held for the part of Leila with actress Lena Kaur securing the role. In November 2009, it was announced that Kaur would leave the soap. Speaking of her decision, Kaur stated: "I decided to leave a while ago because I wanted to do something else. It's the same with every soap - you don't get time to rehearse, there are ups and down and it's so quick to film. You learn all the technical side of things, which is fabulous but for me, I want to move on. It seems like a good time to go as projects are being commissioned that are big for Asian actors - the casting world is moving forward. Young Asian actors are being cast in lead roles in which the characters are who they are regardless of their skin colour. Casting's definitely on a turn compared to what it was five or ten years ago." [2] [4]
Leila is kind, generous and forgiving. She is a firm believer in the spirit world, karma and horoscopes and on several occasions, has used her horoscope to envision her life. In August 2008, Lena Kaur praised Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood for not stereotyping Asians on the programme. Speaking to Take 5 magazine, she stated, "The storylines for me and Stephen (Ravi) aren't being dictated by the colour of our skin. We're both British Asians in real life as well as in the show. We are both totally westernised. We've been brought up in Britain, so the storylines will reflect people like Stephen and me." [5]
Leila arrives as a student at Hollyoaks Community College, where she moves into the halls of residence. Shortly after arriving, Leila begins to develop feelings for Justin Burton, which she tells friend Nancy Hayton. Leila accidentally knocks Justin over. He hits his head and is knocked unconscious. One of the nurses at the hospital tells Leila that Justin has lost his memory. Leila then pretends to be Justin's girlfriend when he leaves hospital. At a party, Justin's friend Ste Hay tells him that Leila is making their relationship up. Justin decides to go along with it and gets back at her by making her do housework. Justin then proposes to a shocked Leila, he then admits to knowing she is lying and reveals he has not lost his memory.
Leila has fun with Gilly Roach and they share a kiss, which makes Justin jealous. Gilly and Leila go on date, but are forced to take Archie Carpenter and Rhys Ashworth with them. Leila then turns down Gilly and starts a relationship with Justin, who finally realises feelings towards Leila. Leila begins to sleepwalk, which is discovered when she is caught on camera eating her own chocolates from an advent calendar. The novelty of Leila and Justin's relationship begins to ware off when Justin realises his true feelings for Hannah Ashworth. During Sasha Valentine and Josh Ashworth's joint birthday party, Justin kisses Hannah and is seen by Hannah's boyfriend Ash and Elliot Bevan, who has developed feelings for Leila. Leila and Elliot kiss outside and are seen by Ash. Elliot tells Leila he wants to start a relationship, as Justin does with Hannah, however Leila feels guilty and continues her relationship with Justin. Justin the splits up with Leila, who then helps him ask out Hannah. Leila and Elliot share a kiss, their love for each other and begin a relationship.
Leila begins feeling ill. When Elliot takes her for a romantic picnic, Leila, who is still ill, appears uninterested, prompting Elliot to believe she has lost interest in their relationship. After a confrontation, Leila tells Elliot she thinks she may be pregnant. Elliot runs off, worrying he would be a bad father like his own. He tries to avoid Leila, who claims to have taken a pregnancy test. Elliot returns and she reveals she is in fact pregnant. Elliot then runs out again. Leila tracks him down and tells him she never took the test and wanted to see how Elliot would react. With a strain already on their relationship, Leila takes a test and discovers she is not pregnant, to the relief of the pair. Leila contacts Elliot's father Gareth, however Kris Fisher tells her that Elliot does not want anything to do with his father. Leila then gets Elliot and Kris to take some of her art to a gallery, in order for her to tell Gareth to leave when he arrives. Gareth turns up just as Elliot prepares to leave for the gallery, however he assumes Gareth is a delivery man. Finally the truth comes out and Elliot is angry at Leila for interfering. Leila grows suspicious of Gareth, whose relationship with Elliot has grown. She discovers Elliot's half brother Maynard is in fact the same age as Elliot and not fourteen as Gareth had said. Realising Gareth is lying to Elliot and had obviously cheated on Elliot's mother Bonnie, Leila calls her. After Gareth leaves, Elliot rejects Leila.
Leila, Bel, Loretta, Kris and Anita discover Ravi is involved in an illegal fight, which could cause his aneurysm to rupture. Angry Ravi taunts Ash, who then punches him. Ravi falls into a coma and Leila blames Ash, who tries to apologise. Ash tells Anita that she is adopted and manipulates her into keeping quiet. When Anita tells Gov she knows, Leila is shocked that her family lied to her and Anita. The Roys then disown Ash. Leila tells Gilly that Ash had hidden food in Hannah Ashworth's room to make it look like her eating disorder had returned, Ash then leaves Hollyoaks. Leila ends her relationship with Elliot and has a one-night stand with Archie Carpenter, who later asks her out but she declines. When Bel and Gov move away to Middlesbrough, Leila, Ravi and Anita move into a smaller flat, previously occupied by the Cunningham family. Leila begins to worry Anita has an eating disorder after a confrontation from Hannah. However, Anita is pretending for attention. Leila overhears Anita and Theresa McQueen talking, and believes Anita has lost her virginity. Anita then pretends she has, due to Leila treating her more like an adult. When Anita collapses due to taking MDMA, Leila and Ravi believe Dave Colburn spiked her drink. However, Anita admits she took it herself to impress him.
Leila creates a sculpture as part of an exhibition. During an interview for a job with artist Jack Welsh, she is told the job is in Paris. Not knowing whether to take the opportunity, Leila confides in Elliot, and the pair grow close again, much to the dislike of his girlfriend Sheila Buxton. Anita accidentally smashes Leila's sculpture during a party, possibly ruining her chance for the job. However, Anita and Ravi Roy reconstruct her sculpture and she is then offered the job. Initially she is reluctant because of her feelings for Elliot, however he persuades her to move on, and she decides to leave. After a tearful farewell with Ravi and Anita, Leila leaves.
Justin Burton is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Chris Fountain. Justin arrived in 2003 and departed on 3 June 2009. Justin arrived in a family of six, however by September 2006, the Burton family had left the show. It was announced in March 2009 that Fountain had decided to leave the show and would depart in a 'major storyline which echoes the fire which killed his sisters'. Fountain was credited in a flashback episode broadcast on 1 December 2010. On 12 April 2023, it was revealed that Justin had been killed off-screen on 5 October 2022, nearly 14 years after his last appearance on screen.
Jake Dean is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kevin Sacre. Sacre portrayed the character between 2002 and 2008, before making a return on 5 October 2009. In March 2010, Sacre was axed from the series by Paul Marquess during his major revamp and cast cull. Jake made his last appearance on 6 August 2010.
Rhys Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Andrew Moss. He made his first on-screen appearance in September 2005. Rhys was killed off in the Enjoy The Ride storyline in an episode airing on 15 November 2012 and the character departed on 16 November 2012. Rhys made a return on 27 June 2014 as part of his ex-girlfriend Cindy Cunningham's storyline about her bipolar disorder.
Hannah Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Emma Rigby. Hannah first appeared on-screen on 27 September 2005 and her last appearance was on 12 February 2010. It was announced on 8 November 2023 that she was to return after 13 years away for a number of episodes in early January, and was later announced to be making a permanent return. Hannah briefly returned for a short stint from 19 to 23 January 2024, before a permanent return on 26 April of the same year. Rigby quit the role once again, only one month after her permanent return, in June 2024.
Neville Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks, played by Jim Millea. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 30 September 2005 and was introduced by David Hanson. Neville departed in July 2010 with his wife Suzanne Ashworth and their son Josh Ashworth, after they were all axed by new executive producer Paul Marquess.
Suzanne Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Suzanne Hall. She made her first on-screen appearance on 30 September 2005. Suzanne was introduced by series producer David Hanson as part of the Ashworth family. In February 2010, Suzanne was axed from the serial by new series producer Paul Marquess. Suzanne made her final appearance on 14 July 2010. Marquess stated in an interview that he was a big fan of Hall's work in the serial. In late 2010 it was revealed that Hall had returned to filming and Suzanne would be pregnant with twins. Suzanne's storylines have included trying to keep her family together, fathering a son Rhys Ashworth secretly with another man, other affairs and a feud with Kathy Barnes. Suzanne returned to Hollyoaks on 14 January 2011 for a period of 2 months. In 2012 it was announced that Hall had reprised the role once again. It was announced in November 2023, that Hall would be reprising the role once again and would be returning "for the foreseeable" with her return scenes airing on 23 January 2024. Suzanne was killed-off in the episode broadcast on 11 September 2024.
Sarah Barnes is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Loui Batley. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 October 2005. Sarah was introduced by executive producer David Hanson as part of the Barnes family. In 2009, Batley quit the serial in order to pursue other projects. The character has been central to many key storylines, one of the earliest the high-profile gay storyline involving supercouple John Paul McQueen and Craig Dean.
Gilly Roach is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Anthony Quinlan. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode broadcast on 6 October 2005. Gilly was created in 2005 by executive producer David Hanson. Gilly has often been portrayed as a push-over and has a double act partnership with fellow character Rhys Ashworth. His main character traits have been his "nice attitude", with Quinlan branding Gilly in his first five years as a "push-over". He has been labelled a loser and unlucky in love after failed relationships with Jessica Harris, Beth Clement, Cheryl Brady and Jem Costello. In 2009, executive producer Lucy Alan made changes to the character and reached a mutual agreement with Quinlan to shave off his hair, which has characterised Gilly during his early years.
Zak Ramsey is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kent Riley. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 6 September 2004. The character was originally credited as "Zak Barnes". After only four months, Riley was written out of the show. Producer Bryan Kirkwood reintroduced him in 2006 and was then credited with the surname Ramsey. Zak was introduced into the series as one of three new student characters, who arrive to study at the Hollyoaks Community College. Joining Zak were Bella Manning and Stuart Harding. When the character was reintroduced, a new set of students were created for Zak to share stories with. Zak is portrayed as a Scouser / Liverpudlian character, with a "fun-loving" persona and enjoys partying rather than concentrating on his studies.
Zoe Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Zoë Lister. The character first appeared on-screen on 1 September 2006, as one of three new students at Hollyoaks Community College. It was announced in 2009 that Lister had quit her role in order to pursue other projects; she subsequently left the series in January 2010. During Zoe's time in Hollyoaks she has been portrayed as a bubbly tomboy who often makes the wrong choices in life and has had a number of failed relationships. In March 2017, it was reported that Lister would be reprising the role and it was later confirmed that she would return for Amy Barnes' funeral. Her return aired on 24 April 2017.
Elliot Bevan is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Garnon Davies. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 9 January 2007. Elliot was introduced into the series as a new student character. In July 2010, it was announced that Davies had decided to leave the show. Elliot made his final appearance during the episode broadcast on 15 November 2010. Elliot's storylines included a relationship with his friend Sarah Barnes and finding his long-lost father.
Beth Clement is a fictional character from British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sinéad Moynihan. Beth first appeared as a student at Hollyoaks Community College, studying for a nursing degree and was later involved in an accidental incest storyline with her half-brother, Rhys Ashworth. Beth died in a car crash on 18 April 2008.
Ravi Roy is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Stephen Uppal. He first appeared in an episode airing on 20 May 2008, introduced by series producer Bryan Kirkwood. Since then he has been central to a bisexuality storyline and living with an aneurysm. Uppal announced in 2010 that he had decided to leave the show.
Lena Kaur is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Leila Roy in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks (2008–2010).
Anita Roy is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Saira Choudhry. Choudhry was cast in 2008 as part of the new Roy family and arrived in November and stayed in the serial for 2 years before she left Hollyoaks on 20 January 2011. Her more notable storylines include being racially bullied, which was nominated for an award at the Inside Soap Awards and which led to her self-harming storyline. In her time on the show she also discovered that she is adopted and began an on-line relationship. Anita also suffered an identity crisis.
Gaz Bennett is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Joel Goonan. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 25 November 2008. Goonan took a break from filming during 2010, and returned on-screen on 19 January 2011. Goonan announced his permanent departure from Hollyoaks in October 2011. He made his final appearance on 11 November 2011.
Jem Costello is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Helen Russell-Clark. She made her first on-screen appearance on 5 March 2010. It was later announced that Jem had been written out of the serial, and the character would leave in November 2010. Russell-Clark made her final appearance as Jem on 30 November 2010.