Nitin Ganatra's mother is "livid" that he is leaving 'EastEnders'.
Nitin Ganatra as Masood Ahmed
The 49-year-old actor - who has played the role of Masood Ahmed in the BBC One soap for nine years - has admitted his mother "went mad at him" when she found out he had decided to leave.
He said: "My mum went mad at me...she was so happy I had a steady job. She's pleased [I can go back whenever I want] but she's still livid with me."
Speaking about the moment he told the show's producer, he added: "Sean O'Connor was very kind, when he took over from Dominic [Treadwell-Collins] I said to him, 'I think I need to go off and do other stuff, I'm excited and feeling very creative. I'm writing, I've got lots of projects in mind.' And he said, 'Well go and get refreshed, the door is always open, you're welcome to come back.'"
And since the news of his exit broke last month, Nitin has received some kind-hearted messages from viewers.
Speaking on ITV's This Morning, he said: "What's great about Masood's exit is it's not high drama. The response from Twitter and online about Masood's leaving has been phenomenal.
"I've been really touched by it. I just get on with my life assuming that nobody notices what I'm doing; I'm doing my work, going home and trying to look after the kids and then I get this response.
"So I said with Masood, what would be really nice is let's keep it warm, poignant and heartfelt. Zainab is definitely a catalyst to him rethinking his whole life."
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