Jimmi Harkishan, better known to millions as Coronation Street's resident entrepreneur Dev Alahan, has vowed to quit the soap because he can't handle the pressures of fame.
The 39-year-old told The People today that he wanted to quit the role after four years, despite earning £100,000 a year plus more from personal appearances.
"I am giving it all up," he said. "My life has got impossible and I plan to quit - not just the Street but acting. I won't miss being in the public eye at all. I am living in a goldfish bowl. It's madness."
One of Harkishan's worst experiences came when he weas stalked by an obsessed female fan who found out where he lived and turned up at 4am asking to be let in.
"I am a normal guy who loves his family. But I defy anybody to try and live a normal life under these pressures," Harkishan added. "My partner Susan is a school inspector and she has the highest standards. It must hurt her. And even my kids have problems at school in London when their classmates read stories about me.
"In Manchester a local radio station has a 'Dev Watch'. They ask the public to keep an eye out for Dev and to text in on their mobiles if they see me around. I was speaking to one of their producers a few weeks back and he told me they get up to 2,000 texts a week from people saying they have seen me.
"That is just madness. How can I live under that close scrutiny? I can't even go to the gym and get any privacy."
Harkashan is contracted to the soap until the end of 2004.
The 39-year-old told The People today that he wanted to quit the role after four years, despite earning £100,000 a year plus more from personal appearances.
"I am giving it all up," he said. "My life has got impossible and I plan to quit - not just the Street but acting. I won't miss being in the public eye at all. I am living in a goldfish bowl. It's madness."
One of Harkishan's worst experiences came when he weas stalked by an obsessed female fan who found out where he lived and turned up at 4am asking to be let in.
"I am a normal guy who loves his family. But I defy anybody to try and live a normal life under these pressures," Harkishan added. "My partner Susan is a school inspector and she has the highest standards. It must hurt her. And even my kids have problems at school in London when their classmates read stories about me.
"In Manchester a local radio station has a 'Dev Watch'. They ask the public to keep an eye out for Dev and to text in on their mobiles if they see me around. I was speaking to one of their producers a few weeks back and he told me they get up to 2,000 texts a week from people saying they have seen me.
"That is just madness. How can I live under that close scrutiny? I can't even go to the gym and get any privacy."
Harkashan is contracted to the soap until the end of 2004.
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