Shila Iqbal has revealed that several members of the Emmerdale cast are supporting her after she was fired following the resurfacing of several offensive tweets. The actress, who has apologised for posting the messages containing racial and homophobic slurs back in 2012, thanked her former co-stars who are supporting her on Instagram Story. In a message, she wrote: "Thank you so much for all your kind messages. And thank you to everyone who has privately messaged me, I'm so sorry I can't reply to you I have read each and every one and I just want to say to everyone, honestly your kindness has given me strength. And thank you to my friends at Emmerdale who have reached out and are still constantly checking up on me."
Shila has previously opened up about her firing
Speaking about being let go from the show on This Morning, Shila previously said: "I felt like I was dreaming – those words – I do not condone the use of those words… I knew it was completely wrong of me to do so. There was no malicious intent behind the tweets… It was heavily influenced by the hip hop and rap music I was listening to – it was the language we did use."
READ: The Emmerdale cast's guide to wedding guest style
Answering Phillip's question on whether she thought ITV bosses were right to end her contract, she said: "It's a tricky one. I think ITV have a moral obligation to do what's right for the public and I respect their decision… but I do question, 'Is it fair that I've been judged on something I did as a teenager?' If you look at the context, I wasn't hurling abuse at anyone. It's not who I am… To be honest, I think if the person has changed and shown remorse and their attitude has changed then no. They should be judged on who they are today."
READ: Shila Iqbal questions ITV's decision to fire her from Emmerdale because of old tweets