Himesh Patel had "no interest" in reality TV after leaving 'EastEnders'.
Himesh Patel
The former Albert Square star - who portrayed Tamwar Masood on the BBC One soap from 2007 to 2016 - admits it didn't cross his mind to delve into the world of reality TV after he waved goodbye to Walford, but he was keen to pursue some comedy acting.
He said: "Reality TV held no interest whatsoever.
"I always enjoyed comedy, as a viewer and performer.
"I think teenagers who like it are often misfits, and I was a bit of a misfit.
"I enjoyed 'hyper-real' comedy - 'The Office', 'Peep Show', 'The Day Today', 'Alan Partridge', all that stuff."
Himesh - who went on to star as Nitin in Channel 4 sitcom 'Damned' from 2016 to 2018 - only has 12 tweets on his Twitter account, all promoting his new film 'Yesterday', despite joining the social network in October 2012.
And while he believes social media is a "good tool" at times, he admits there is a "danger of misinterpretation".
He added to Marie Claire magazine: "I know social media can be a good tool, but I prefer to share stuff about work.
"There's also the danger of misinterpretation. Things can spiral out of control very quickly on platforms like that."
Himesh made UK soap history in 2015 when his 'EastEnders' character Tamwar sent various tweets during some of the live elements of the soap's 30th anniversary live week episodes.
He said at the time: "Tweeting in character is a first for me - but I think I know Tamwar well enough and I'm looking forward to giving the world his unique perspective on things as they unfold."