An EastEnders legend revealed he returned to his ‘normal job’ after starring on the show for 12 years.
Actor Nitin Ganatra, 55, played the well-known postman Masood Ahmed on the BBC soap before quitting in 2019.
He took on the role of Masood in 2007 and was involved in some dramatic storylines, including when he discovered his son's gay affair.
But now he has returned to work in a humble newsagents, helping out at his family's business in Coventry.
Since leaving the show, Nitin has continued acting, including a role in the Netflix hit Wednesday, but he says he's balancing fame with normality now, getting up at 4.30am to work alongside his brother in the corner shop.
It’s a job Nitin has had since he was just 10 years old, and after his long-standing role on Albert Square, he says some of the customers are shocked to see him back, telling The Sun how people still ask him for selfies in the shop.
Nitin left EastEnders after becoming “restless” with playing the same character for so many years.
He explained to The Sun: “I love playing different characters and doing lots of different types of things, play other characters, do other accents, change my look.
"When you're stuck on a show, you maintain that look for a long time and I was fed up with a goatee beard and I wanted to grow my hair… I grew a beard instead!”
Since leaving, he has worked on the likes of Sky comedy Breeders, with Martin Freeman, and a Paramount Plus prequel to the 2000 movie Sexy Beast.
He also landed a role in Alan Carr’s upcoming semi-autobiographical comedy, Changing Ends.
But between acting gigs, he can be found on the shop floor of the newsagents that his family has owned for the last 45 years, but the performer won’t rule out returning to Walford.
As Nitin only left the show to get a chance to ‘play other characters’ he insisted he would ‘never say never’ to a return.
Since EastEnders, he has also become an unlikely star on TikTok, gaining over 12,500 followers on the popular social media app.
Sharing videos from his everyday life, including his passion for painting and art, the actor admits that his account ‘exploded’ with many people still recognising him and commenting: “Masood,” on his viral videos.
Nitin is also a family man, tying the knot to his wife Meera Thakrar in 2004, with whom he shares two sons.
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