Emmerdale's matthew wolfenden reveals 'big pull' that would have seen him return

THE 45-YEAR-OLD ACTOR QUIT HIS ROLE AS DAVID METCALFE ON THE ITV1 SOAP IN 2023 14:23, 20 May 2025 Matthew Wolfenden would "definitely" return to Emmerdale as he revealed the

'big pull' that would have brought him back, before his former co-star's own exit. 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 choose between 'Emmerdale' or the musical due to the soap's no

pantomime rule. 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). 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 horror limo crash earlier this year. 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." 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'. Article continues below 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." 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. 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." Article continues below 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."