Nitin Ganatra's mum 'livid' at him for quitting EastEnders

EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra has revealed his mother is “livid” at him for leaving the show.

Copyright [ITV/Supplied by WENN]

The 49-year-old actor is taking a break from Walford after portraying Masood Ahmed in the BBC One soap for nine years, and while he can’t wait to try different things, his mum “went mad at him” when she found out.

He said: “My mum went mad at me … she was so happy I had a steady job. She’s pleased [I can go back whenever I want] but she’s still livid with me.

”[EastEnders Executive Producer] Sean O'Connor was very kind, when he took over from Dominic [Treadwell-Collins] I said to him, ‘I think I need to go off and do other stuff.

Copyright [WENN.com]

“'I’m excited and feeling very creative. I’m writing, I’ve got lots of projects in mind.’ And he said, 'Well go and get refreshed, the door is always open, you’re welcome to come back.’ ”

Since the news of Masood’s Albert Square departure broke last month, Nitin has received some kind-hearted messages from viewers.

Copyright [Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock]

Speaking on ITV’s This Morning, he said: “What’s great about Masood’s exit is it’s not high drama. The response from Twitter and online about Masood’s leaving has been phenomenal.

"I’ve been really touched by it. I just get on with my life assuming that nobody notices what I’m doing; I’m doing my work, going home and trying to look after the kids and then I get this response.

"So I said with Masood, what would be really nice is let’s keep it warm, poignant and heartfelt. Zainab is definitely a catalyst to him rethinking his whole life.”