Former Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden drops hint he could return to soap after quitting

Wales Online

20-05-2025

Former Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden drops hint he could return to soap after quitting
The 45-year-old actor quit his role as David Metcalfe on the ITV1 soap in 2023
(Image: ITV )
Matthew Wolfenden would "definitely" return to 'Emmerdale'.
The 45-year-old actor quit his role as David Metcalfe on the ITV1 soap in 2023 after he got offered the role of Buddy in 'Elf The Musical' in London's West End because bosses told Matthew to pick either between 'Emmerdale' or the musical due to the soap's no pantomime rule.
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His character left the village in November 2024 after he found out his son Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) was having a secret romance with his ex-girlfriend Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins).
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Matthew admits he would be open to a return to 'Emmerdale' and an instant storyline would be his alter ego David dealing with the aftermath of the death of his former lover Leyla Harding - played by Roxy Shahidi - who died following a limo crash on the February 19 episode.
Matthew told Inside Soap magazine: "I would definitely go back to 'Emmerdale'.
"The big pull would have been to revisit the relationship again with Leyla."
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Matthew and Roxy, 42, became close friends on the set of 'Emmerdale' and they are working on the second season of their podcast, 'Celebrity Side Hustles'.
The pair decided to start doing the podcast after they chatted on 'Emmerdale' about what else they could do.
Matthew explained: "In our downtime between filming, we were chatting about what else we could do - and we both love listening to podcasts."
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Roxy added: "We were always doing these side hustles - I had yoga and Matt had a toy business - and we wondered what our friends were up to.
"Then that turned into 'Celebrity Side Hustles!'"
And Roxy admitted it was "quite nerve-wracking" being the interviewer instead of the guest because of her eagerness to talk.
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She said: "It was quite nerve-wracking. And I had to learn how to shut up! I have a habit of getting a bit too excited."
And Matthew loves the opportunity of getting to know their guests more, including their 'Emmerdale' co-star, Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk).
He said: "It's been so fun to learn about our guests. I sat next to Dominic Brunt [Paddy] for 18 years, but you don't get the chance to have these hour-long chats because you're going back on set."