EMMERDALE star Aaron Anthony waved goodbye to the soap this week as his character Ellis Chapman headed to Australia.
Viewers and characters alike were left in tears as Ellis joined his former flame Priya Sharma in a taxi to the airport before leaving for good.
Actor Aaron, 28, quit the ITV soap in December following a race probe into two of its other leading stars.
His character Ellis waved goodbye last week in emotional airport scenes with his love interest Priya, played by Fiona Wade.
He joined the soap in 2019 after former Ellis Chapman star Asan N’Jie was given the boot by bosses following a confrontation with a co-star.
Asan was caught coming to blows with Hollyoaks’ star Jamie Lomas at the TV Choice Awards, with the pair exchanging heated words.
Aaron landed the role shortly after, just a matter of years after graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2013.
His first major role saw him play Nathan Westwood in the BBC medical drama Doctors, and had appearances in Holby City and Hidden.
The actor also played Adam Hesketh in Delicious, opposite household names Dawn French and Emilia Fox in 2019.
Outside of Emmerdale, he has also starred in Netflix series Behind Her Eyes, playing Ian in a number of episodes of the most recent season.
Aaron quit the soap last year after bosses launched a race probe against two of its stars after claims a mixed race actress’ accent was mimicked.
Matthew Wolfenden and Isabel Hodgins, who play David Metcalfe and Victoria Sugden, have denied any wrongdoing despite allegations.
The Celeb Report later revealed how Matthew and Aaron had rowed about the incident, leaving the young actor to decide to leave the ITV show.
A source said at the time: “Aaron is bitterly angry about this situation and he has had to be persuaded to come back to Leeds to film his scenes in recent months.
“He has done some filming over the last couple of weeks, but the understanding is that those scenes will be his last.
“He has been very vocal in his opinions about the allegations and about the way in which the enquiries have been handled by the bosses. He now feels his position on the show is untenable.”
While Aaron has kept much of his private life away from the prying eyes of TV fans, he does share glimpses of his life with his stunning girlfriend.
The star is dating Rebekah Hinds – an actress who has starred in Shameless, The Syndicate and Inside Number 9.
The couple are thought to have met while working together in a theatre production of Billy Liar at the Royal Exchange in Manchester.
Aaron and Rebekah are often seen sharing their love for cooking on their social media pages, but keep their relationship hidden from cameras.
