The following article addresses eating disorders and may be triggering for some readers.

Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Fiona Wade has shed new light on Priya's eating disorder being revisited in Emmerdale.

The character was seen once again purging in Friday's episode after discussing her recovery from the burns she received in the Maize Maze fire over the Halloween period.

Just as Priya has struggled with looking at the burns on her back, her issues with food from the past have been triggered too because she cannot exercise and has been repeatedly urged to eat more.

priya, emmerdale
ITV

Speaking about this difficult period in Priya's life, Fiona Wade explained the character's eating disorder being revisited is "very much entwined" with other triggers.

"With the body dysmorphia and anorexia, these things are going to be triggered because she's always had this body image situation," she noted.

"Priya is not able to do much exercise or move around much. They're also telling her to eat more to help with her healing. All of these triggers are coming back and before she knows it, that's taking over again."

priya, emmerdale
ITV

She added: "I think it's realistic and part of what would happen. Priya is someone that is so conscious of how she looks, she spends all of her time being a perfectionist, has overcome the eating disorder but it's always there with her. She's not in control of anything anymore and that's how it all starts – control and perfectionism.

"It makes sense that the writers have brought it back, so it kind of works alongside getting through what's happened to her."

Wade went on to discuss how the scenes she's been filming since the Halloween fire have been hugely poignant for her.

priya sharma, emmerdale
ITV

"They've been the most challenging for me since doing the eating disorder the first time. You feel a responsibility as an actor to do it justice for all of those incredible people out there who are going through it or have been through it," she said.

"It's been a hard schedule so it's exhausting. I can finish a working day exhausted after crying so much, but then I go home and I've got scripts to learn. It's hard to leave it but as an actress I know how to leave Priya at work.

"The crying is a lot harder to shake off but you have to be thankful, I'm an actress conveying it, I'm not actually going through it."

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.

Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage


Beat (www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk) is a charity which raises awareness and understanding of eating disorders, and supports those affected by them. Beat now has a one-to-one secure messaging service. Its phone helpline for those aged 18 and over is 0808 801 0677, and there's also a dedicated Youthline for those under 18 – 0808 801 0711.

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Justin Harp

Night News Editor

Justin has been with Digital Spy since 2010, and in that time, has covered countless major news events for DS from the US. 

He has worked previously as both a reporter and sub editor for the brand, prior to taking on the position of Night News Editor in 2016. 

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