Emmerdale welcomed newcomer Serena Sugden, played by Casey Al-Shaqsy, to the ITV soap last month17:39, 08 Jul 2026Updated 17:40, 08 Jul 2026Emmerdale's Serena Sugden made their ITV soap debut last month and they've already sparked suspicion.‌Serena, played by Casey Al-Shaqsy, appeared in the village last month as a member of the Sugden family as her grandfather was Robert Sugden's father Jack's cousin.‌Serena admitted that she was homeless and jobless so decided to visit and ask her family in the village for help. Serena has since been welcomed into Sarah Sugden's home to stay and Charity Dingle has offered her work as a barmaid at The Woolpack after opening up to the newcomer about her recent troubles. However, in recent episodes, Serena has been sparking suspicion.‌Only recently, Serena has started digging for information about her late serial killer cousin John Sugden, who she had been acquainted with, and his victim Nate Robinson.As Serena takes centre stage, soap watchers are curious to learn more about Serena star Casey Al-Shaqsy's life away from the ITV soap...‌Weight lossOnly recently, Casey took to Instagram to reveal and discuss her weight loss.Posting a collection of snaps to her Instagram Story, where she rocked a longer hairdo too, the actress penned: "I think in 2 months since watching my first eps… I think I’ve lost a bit of weight" with shocked emojis.‌In the photos, Casey rocked a pair of nude shorts, a lilac bralette and cropped striped jumper as she posed for a collection of photos which she shared to her social media.West End pastEmmerdale marks one of Casey's first television and soap debuts.‌Prior to the ITV soap, Casey is best known for her incredible West End career, having appeared in Once on This Island (Concert - Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Hamilton (UK Tour), Wicked (UK Tour), Six: The Musical (UK Tour), Bonnie & Clyde (Concert - Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Prince of Egypt (Dominion Theatre) and Rumi: The Musical (London Coliseum).Talking about joining Emmerdale last month, Casey said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining such an iconic show and playing a Sugden!"Serena is a fantastic character with so much going on beneath the surface. I can’t wait for the audience to see the drama unfold."Article continues belowEmmerdale continues on weeknights at 8pm on ITV and ITV X.