| Leanna Cavanagh | |||||||||
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| Emmerdale character | |||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Mimi Slinger | ||||||||
| Duration | 2018–2021 | ||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 8087 6 March 2018 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 9096 9 July 2021 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Iain MacLeod | ||||||||
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Leanna Cavanagh is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Mimi Slinger. Leanna is introduced as the troublesome daughter of Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) when producers made the decision to explore Liam's character. Since making her first appearance on 6 March 2018, her storylines in the soap have included her numerous rivalries with her father's partners, her friendship and eventual rivalry with Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham), and her on-off relationship with Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant). The character is killed off in the episode airing on 8 July 2021 when she is murdered by Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu).
Slinger announced her decision to leave to the production team in 2020 and was informed that her character would die, which she was shocked but excited for. It was announced in June 2021 that Meena would kill a character and viewers of the show immediately suspected that it would be Leanna. In order to film her death scenes in the COVID-19 pandemic, Slinger formed a bubble with Sandhu, which she felt made the scenes more realistic. Upon leaving, Slinger said that she was missing Emmerdale and her co-stars, but explained that it felt like the right time to pursue other opportunities in her career.
Leanna is initially portrayed as a mean and harsh character, with Slinger admitting that she would not be friends with her character. However, her backstory is later explored when it is revealed that her mother died when Leanna was a child. Due to having experienced the loss of her mother at a young age, Leanna takes out her feelings on people surrounding her, without regard for their feelings. Her attitude was initially criticised by viewers, but her impact on the series has been noted by OK! magazine. After Leanna was murdered, viewers were "sickened" and "stunned" by her death.[1]