EastEnders star Davood Ghadami has admitted that he was gutted when co-star Rakhee Thakrar left the show.
Thakrar played the actor's on-screen wife Shabnam Masood, but viewers were left shocked when she bowed out of Walford earlier this year, following the breakdown of her marriage to Kush.
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Speaking about her exit, Ghadami, who plays Kush, said to Inside Soap: "I was gutted when she left. Rakhee was one of the most professional and talented people I have ever had the pleasure of working with.
"We tried really hard to do our homework for all of the storylines we were part of, so we spent a lot of time together off-set as well as on it.
"I feel like I have lost a big piece from the puzzle that makes up my character. Everyone loved working with her, but I know she will go on to great things. We always had fun because she told terrible jokes - I won't miss those as much!"
Shabnam's exit left Kush devastated and he has been on a downward spiral ever since. Upcoming scenes will see him forced to face his best friend Martin Fowler, who recently discovered the truth about baby Arthur's paternity.
Only time will tell whether the pair can rekindle their friendship, but Ghadami has hinted that we could see some more destructive behaviour from Kush in the meantime.
He said: "It is going to be a long slog. While Kush is getting over his losses, his default is to play the field, and we will witness him doing that.
"It's his coping mechanism, a way of forgetting everything, and it seems to have worked for him before. I'm just not sure it will manage to do the job on this occasion.
"These kinds of wounds take a long time to heal. But you know what it can be like in Walford - so they might not take that long to heal after all."
EastEnders continues tonight at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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