Why did Himesh Patel leave EastEnders?

As Tamwar Masood, Himesh Patel won the hearts of the audience in BBC’s EastEnders.

Aged 17 at the time, Himesh debuted as Tamwar in October 2007 as the middle son of Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) and Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia).

During his nine years on the show, Himesh was involved in several key storylines.

These included his relationships with Afia Masood (Meryl Fernandes) and Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill).

In 2011, Tamwar suffered severe burns after he ran into a burning building, thinking that Afia was trapped inside.

In 2016, Himesh chose to leave EastEnders alongside Maddy Hill, and he made his final onscreen appearance on April 22.

Himesh recently revealed the circumstances of his exit and why he made the decision to leave.

He said: “I’d always felt that at some point I was going to leave EastEnders because I just wanted to try something different, with no assumption of where that would take me.

“And I was lucky enough that I left with the door still open.

“So, you know, they haven’t killed me off here.

“Wonderful Dominic Treadwell-Collins was the Executive Producer, and he sat me down.

“Maddy Hill, who played my partner at the time, was leaving.

“I kind of went, ‘I want him to have a happy ending here. I think we’re going to go together’.

“But I remember having a meeting with Dominic, and he was like, ‘I don’t want you to leave. I want him to be heartbroken on the train platform’.

“And I was like, ‘I don’t want to do that to him. I don’t want to do that. I want him to be happy’.”

Himesh is yet to reprise his role as Tamwar. However, the character has been mentioned several times since his exit.

In 2019, it was revealed off-screen that Nancy and Tamwar were getting married. 

However, Nancy returned to Walford alone in 2021, revealing that she and Tamwar were getting divorced.

It later transpired that their marriage broke because Tamwar wanted children while Nancy did not.

When his departure from EastEnders was announced, Himesh commented:

“After almost nine years with Tamwar, it’s time to bid him farewell and explore pastures new.

“I’m looking forward to new challenges, perhaps on the stage or behind the camera.”

“Whatever awaits me, I’ll miss my family at EastEnders immensely – they’ve watched me grow from boy to man and supported me every step of the way.

“It’s been a true privilege to work alongside them.”

Since leaving the soap, Himesh has achieved international fame and has appeared in films including Yesterday (2019), Tenet (2020), and Don’t Look Up (2021).

He was last seen in The Assessment (2024).

Meanwhile, EastEnders continues on Monday, December 2, 2024.