'Emmerdale' actress Paige Sandhu confirms shock exit for Meena Jutla

Emmerdale Manpreet and Meena
It's the beginning of the end for the 'Emmerdale' serial killer. (Image credit: ITV)

Emmerdale actress Paige Sandhu has revealed that her villainous character Meena Jutla will be leaving the soap, after months of murdering and tormenting those around her. 

Meena is currently at the centre of the ITV soap after taking her sister Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) hostage, planning on murdering her after she discovered her darkest secrets. Things are only going to get worse as well, as twisted Meena also has sinister plans for Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) as well.

Our soap spoilers reveal that there's a big episode coming up for Meena on Friday, Jan. 14, but what exactly is in store for the village murderer is being kept tightly under wraps and the exact date of Meena's departure is still unknown. 

Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Paige has confirmed she will be leaving the soap but has kept her lips sealed on what Meena's future will look like.

She revealed: "I will miss everything because I love her. I think Meena’s hilarious, she’s got so much charisma, she’s so strange and odd.

"She’s so much fun to play. Going to those dark places is really fulfilling but then there’s that slightly comedic edge. I love her flamboyant nature. I’ll miss everything about her."

Emmerdale Manpreet and Meena

Meena has been tormenting her sister, Manpreet since Christmas.  (Image credit: ITV)

Paige has played the role of Meena since 2020, and quickly became a regular member of the Emmerdale cast. She's caused carnage since arriving in the village, initially under the guise of reconciling with her estranged sister Manpreet, but she's ended up becoming one of the soap's most iconic villains. 

During her time in the village, Meena has certainly left an impact as a villain, with her twisted character taking keepsakes from her victims after their deaths, as well as getting involved in the aftermath of the murders to see the reactions from those who are grieving.

As well as killing her best friend before she arrived in the village, Meena has murdered Leanna Cavanagh, Andrea Tate, and Ben Tucker, and now plans to kill her sister Manpreet as well as Vinny Dingle. But will she get away with it? Or is her time finally up?

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays - see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITV Hub now. 

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress