Richard Blackwood has revealed exactly why he’s leaving EastEnders.
And while he admits the soap chose NOT to renew his contract, he also says he wasn’t entirely happy with the way his character’s storylines were going.
The actor, 45, announced just last week that he would be leaving the role of Vincent Hubbard to “explore other opportunities”.
Read more: Halfway’s older brother arrives in EastEnders and will cause trouble for Mick Carter
At the time, an EastEnders spokesman said: “We can confirm that Richard will be leaving EastEnders this spring. Richard has been a great addition to the show and we wish him all the best for the future.”
Richard added: “I have loved every minute of my time at EastEnders and although I will be sad to say goodbye, after three years it feels the right time to leave.
“I have been truly blessed with some great storylines since the moment I joined but when I was presented with my last story I knew it was time for Vincent to depart Walford.”
In a new interview with So Solid Crew’s Harvey – which Richard shared with his 51,200 Twitter fans on his official account – Richard is a little more open about his real feelings.
He says: “This is really exclusive, because I haven’t told anybody this. There was no bad vibe between me and EastEnders [about] leaving. It just so happened that I came to the end of my contract and they weren’t going to renew it.”
Check out my interview with @Harveyofficial I think you may enjoy it https://t.co/11veryHNsQ pic.twitter.com/9BmHpkEGcv
— Richard Blackwood (@RB_Official) March 27, 2018
Admitting he was a “bit hurt” by the decision, Richard went on to say that he had always predicted he’d only stay in the soap for three years.
He added: “So when I came into EastEnders… I said if I get more than one year, I reckon I’m going to do three years… EastEnders is its [own] movie, I’m a character within it…
“My character within that movie had to leave.”
However, he does go on to say: “This is no disrespect to [EastEnders], but the storyline, where it started to go, I wasn’t feeling. Where they started to take my character, and people will see where my character goes towards the end, I wasn’t feeling.
“It was like, ‘No, it’s time’.”
Richard’s character Vincent first appeared on screen during a live episode in 2015 to celebrate the soap’s 30th anniversary.
He has a feature film out later this year, and will be returning to theatre.
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