Emmerdale star Bhasker Patel looked totally different in a recent social media snap – just a week since his character’s death.
The actor is best known for playing Rishi Sharma on the long-running soap since 2011 – and it’s fair to say he became a firm favourite with viewers.
However, that all changed last week when the character was killed off in a shocking twist – leaving fans of the soap devastated.
READ MORE: Emmerdale fans say same thing as Rishi’s cause of death is confirmed after shock exit
Since then, the soap star has been making the most of his free time and recently headed down to Sussex.
Taking to his Instagram on Monday (August 8) Bhasker delighted his followers with a sweet snap of him cuddling a dog and sporting a bushy grey beard.
Beaming to the camera, Bhasker looked very different with a more rugged look than clean-shaven Rishi.
He captioned the snap: “Loving the long walk but not the strong L wind today. Bit pebbly underfoot.”
It was the end of an era for the fan favourite after such a long stint on the ITV soap.
(Image: instagram.com/bhaskerpatel)
He said: “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.
“Thanks for watching Rishi over the years.”
Bhasker’s exit comes after Rishi told “son” Jai Sharma that his brother was his biological father and not him.
The dramatic departure has been heartbreaking for his co-stars.
Chris Bisson, who plays his on-screen son Jai, already misses filming with him.
He said: “It does feel very strange without Bhasker. Every time I walk past what was his dressing room, I think about popping my head in to see how he’s doing.
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“So it is strange when he isn’t there. Twelve years is a long time and over the years we’ve had some great stories and have had a lot of fun too.
“Bhasker and I got on really well personally so that makes a big difference and the loss even greater. We all miss him in the building.”
It comes after Rishi’s cause of death was finally confirmed during an episode from last week – and the family received some much-needed closure.
During the episode, Jai was seen coming off the phone to someone before Laurel walked in.
“Dad’s body’s been released,” Jai said.
“The coroner has confirmed the death as accidental fall.”
Laurel chimed in and with a sigh of relief she said: “Oh Jay I know you thought it was his heart, so that’s a huge weight lifted isn’t it?”
“Yeah it is, and now I can concentrate on giving him the best send off that I can,” he replied.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
