EastEnders actor Aaron Thiara is reportedly set to leave the BBC soap after four years.
The 33-year-old has played Ravi Gulati since 2022 and quickly became a central figure in some of the show’s most dramatic storylines.
However, after a few years on the soap, he may be set to take on new projects.
A source told The Sun: "Aaron has been at the centre of some of the soap's biggest storylines since his arrival as bad-boy Ravi back in 2022.
"He’s an incredibly popular member of the cast and the fans love him.
"He’s decided to focus on new projects, but will stay on set until the end of the year to see out some juicy storylines his character has in store."
Since arriving in Walford, Mr Thiara’s character has uncovered family secrets, been involved in a murder, and navigated complex personal relationships.
Ravi discovered he was the biological son of Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), and killed Ranveer Gulati (Anil Goutam) —who he believed was his father— in self-defence.
The character is also known for his relationship with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy), with whom he has a son, Nugget (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) and a daughter, Avani (Aaliyah James).
Just over a year ago, Ravi partnered with Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) to set up a drugs empire, but six months later, she spiked his drink as an act of revenge, and he ended up putting his own son into a coma.
Much of 2026 has revolved around Ravi's mental health and PTSD, and, ahead of the storyline, Aaron pleaded with fans to "see the person" and "not the villain".
Some fans had been struggling to be sympathetic towards the character following his actions towards Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway).
Aaron said that he hopes fans can look past Ravi's history amid his upcoming storyline, which EastEnders worked with mental health charity Samaritans on.
He said: "In these moments, I hope the audience can simply see a human being in crisis.
"Some may hold his history against him, but I hope people will see, not the villain, not the history, but the person underneath it all."
Mr Thiara won Villain of the Year at the now-defunct British Soap Awards in 2023 and was also nominated for Serial Drama Performance at the National Television Awards.
A spokesperson for EastEnders declined to comment when contacted by Newsquest.
Michelle Ryan teases new project after leaving EastEnders
In other EastEnders news, Michelle Ryan has teased a new project she will be involved in after leaving the soap.
Ryan plays Zoe Slater on the show, and her departure from Walford will be taking place in the near future.
She shared a picture on Instagram in a recording studio video, in which she said she was "about to do some vocal work."
Ms Ryan admitted to feeling "pretty rusty" and said she was working with professional singer and vocal coach Jo Ellul.
Would you be sad to see Aaron Thiara leave EastEnders? Let us know in the comments.
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