Emmerdale fans DIVIDED over THIS shock romance blossoming between two village favourites

Emmerdale fans are torn over the potential romance on the cards for Leyla Harding and Liam Cavanagh...

Tonight's Emmerdale has hinted that there could be a romance on the cards for Leyla Harding and newly-single Liam Cavanagh after Liam's engagement with Bernice Blackstock ended in heartbreak.

The drama came about after Liam and Leyla shared a passionate kiss in yesterday's (Thursday 2nd January) double bill after they threw an impromptu pamper party at the beauty salon after a booking mix up.

Liam and Leyla kiss in Emmerdale — Liam and Leyla shared a forbidden kiss on Thursday night (Picture: ITV)

Despite the fact Liam was forced to blag his way through giving customers rainbow hair and manicures, the party was a huge success and brought the pair closer together than ever before.

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But as Liam went to thank Leyla for all her hard work, the pair ended up sharing a kiss, leaving Liam feeling guilty about his oblivious fiancee who is currently on the other side of the world with her daughter.

Eventually the guilt got too much for Liam and he confessed all to Bernice on the phone in today's episode, causing her to end their engagement instantly, leaving Liam heartbroken.

But as he admitted to Leyla what had happened, she decided to seize the moment and tell him exactly how she feels about him. However, putting her heart on the line for the doctor didn't quite go to plan!

As a stunned Liam struggled to get his head around what Leyla was telling him, she was left panicking when he bolted, leaving her standing in the middle of the village wondering what will happen next.

Some fans are thrilled that Liam didn't actually turn Leyla down and are hoping that this means there could be romance for the pair in the future...

While others are fuming that Liam has cheated on Bernice the moment her back is turned...

With Leyla and Liam now both single, it seems there could be a chance for them to get together... but how quickly can Liam forget that he was supposed to be marrying someone else only last month?

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

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia.

After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off.

She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz!

As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.