Emmerdale actor confirms shock death plot wasn't his choice
Emmerdale star Bhasker Patel has revealed that his character Rishi Sharma's death wasn't his choice.
Scenes on the soap last night (July 27) saw a heartbreaking twist when Rishi never turns up to Jai's wedding ceremony, and is revealed to be laying dead at the bottom of the stairs.
Appearing on today's Lorraine, Bhasker opened up about learning he would be exiting the soap, admitting it was decided by show bosses rather than him.
Related: Emmerdale actor responds to co-star's shock departure
"The producer rang me and said, 'We now need to talk to you and we're killing him off because we want a big story and it's going to be a big surprise,'" he recalled.
"Because my 12 years at ITV, they let me do a lot of other work, so I felt also a part of ITV, a part of Rishi, but at the same time, I did a lot of work in London as well.
"So when the producer said, 'We're going to kill you off', I was like, 'Okay, that part of my life with this guy is over and I'm going to move on.'"
Related: Emmerdale's Amelia Spencer considers risky lie in Dan storyline
Sharing a statement following his exit, the actor said: "Thanks for watching Rishi over the years. I feel privileged to have been part of the show for 12 years.
"I have loved it and will miss it enormously, especially my friends and working in the beautiful village of Emmerdale. Thank you for watching. Stay safe, Bhasker."
Bhasker also reflected on his time on the show, saying: "The thing that I'll miss the most for Rishi is, you know, being in this village.
"He came here long ago and they embraced him and he embraced the village as well. And working here in the village, you know, we're the only soap who has this."
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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