Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale aired heartbreaking scenes tonight as Leanna Cavanagh's body was discovered following her murder in last night's episodes.
Shocking scenes in Thursday's (July 8) double bill saw Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu) murder Leanna (Mimi Slinger) after she had discovered the truth about the death of her old friend Nadine.
Friday's (July 9) episode began with Bernice Blackstock on the phone happily agreeing to take Gabby Thomas to her 20-week scan but she never made it, as shortly after she was the one to tragically discover Leanna's body.
Bernice called the police, and the sad news quickly spread through the village, with Leanna's dad, Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson), in a trance-like state as he ran down to the bridge where she was found.
Later, Bernice (Samantha Giles) went into the Woolpack, where she shared the sad news with Marlon and Zak Dingle. Not long after, Gabby (Rosie Bentham) and Kim Tate – who had gleefully stepped in to take Gabby to her appointment – arrived and began demanding where she had been that was more important.
What to Read Next
A traumatised Bernice then told them exactly how she had found Leanna and how she knew she was dead.
"I was so excited after talking to you and I was standing on the bridge, taking in the air, and I looked down and there she was lying below in the water," Bernice said. "I rushed to be with her, she was so still, so pale. I knew it was too late, there was nothing I could do."
In heartbreaking scenes, Liam was left inconsolable by the news of his daughter's death and he was already convinced that what happened to her wasn't an accident as his new wife Leyla (Roxy Shahidi) tried to keep him calm.
"She was out there all night, alone. If it wasn't an accident, then how did she get there?" he said. "What, dare to think about how awful her last moments might have been? Alone, trying to call out."
"It's not going to help anyone is it? You thinking the worst," Leyla pleaded with him.
"Help who exactly? Me? Why in hell would I need to feel better? I'm her father, she needed me. I let her down."
Mimi Slinger, who played Leanna on the ITV soap, recently spoke about her Emmerdale exit to Digital Spy, admitting it's a relief to no longer have to keep the secret of her departure.
"I am glad that the secret is out. I knew back in December that Leanna would meet an untimely death, but I wasn't told any other details until just before the scripts were published. It has been hard not to let on to anyone," she said.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays. All of the episodes are available to watch now on the ITV Hub.
Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
50 Years of Emmerdale: The official Story of TV's most iconic rural drama
Request video message from selected Emmerdale stars past and present
If the Cap Fits: My Rocky Road to Emmerdale by Steve Halliwell
![Emmerdale Farm - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1972]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1568651758-515sfWjRcqL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Emmerdale Farm - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1972]")
![Emmerdale - The Dingles For Richer For Poorer [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1568651981-51KI1Ifvg-L.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Emmerdale - The Dingles For Richer For Poorer [DVD]")
Emmerdale - The Dingles For Richer For Poorer [DVD]
Want up-to-the-minute soaps news, spoilers and gossip on your social feeds? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Soaps Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @soapscoop Twitter account.
