Casualty actor Nigel Harman has quit after just one year on the BBC soap.
Harman, 50, has said that his time as consultant Max Cristie on the popular medical drama is now 'done' for the time being.
The actor, who has signed up as a contestant on this year's Latin and ballroom competition Strictly Come Dancing, will exit the programme in what has been described as a "gripping storyline".
His final scenes will reportedly air next February.
Is there a doctor in the house? There is now. We prescribe @BBCCasualty actor Nigel Harman one series of #Strictly Come Dancing!🚨
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) August 10, 2023
👉 https://t.co/NnDs3EAdGU pic.twitter.com/7EtlNYqr6t
Nigel confirmed to the Daily Star Sunday newspaper: “My time on Casualty is done for the time being.
"There are no plans for me to go back at the moment."
Programme insiders admitted the news will come as a huge blow to fans.
A source said: "Nigel is so popular – getting him on board was such a coup.
"A lot of viewers have been tuning in just to see him.
"This news will be heartbreaking for a lot of viewers."
Nigel Harman 'amazed, excited and terrified' to be taking part in Strictly
The announcement comes as the former EastEnders actor admitted that he is "amazed, excited, and terrified" about taking part in Strictly.
He said: "As an armchair fan of the show I have watched in awe as people have twirled and gyrated across the screen. And now it's my turn ... gulp!
Geri Horner thinks the Spice Girls were a 'voice for the voiceless'
Nigel has sought advice from his fellow Casualty co-star Charles Venn, who played Ray Dixon in EastEnders and previously took part in 'Strictly' - but admitted he didn't like what he had to say.
Speaking on Lorraine, Nigel said: "Charles Venn took me aside and he went really serious. He said, 'You've got to do cardio at the gym. Cardio, cardio.' I thought, 'Oh my God.'"
Nigel recently graduated as a meditation teacher, and admitted he has a feeling he is "going to need" such skills amid his 'Strictly' stint.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here