Emmerdale actor Bhasker Patel is best known her his role as Rishi Sharma on the long-running ITV soap.
Rishi has become a firm favourite amongst fans since joining back in 2011. He is the ex-husband of Georgia Sharma, the father of Jai, Nikhil and Priya Sharma and grandfather of Mia, Archie, Molly, Amba and Eliza.
In recent scenes Sandra Flaherty has turned her sights to Rishi Sharma after hearing of his surprise windfall, in a bid to get her hands on some cash. It comes shortly after a small health mishap and the end of his marriage to Manpreet Sharma.
Read more: Mark Charnock lets slip about 'sensational' Emmerdale anniversary storylines
His character has been at the centre of much of the soaps drama but off-screen actor Bhasker Patel leads a much more simple life. Here's everything we know about Rishi Sharma star Bhasker Patel's life away from the Dales.
What else has Bhasker Patel been in?
Bhasker Patel has had a long and colourful acting career. While he is best known for his current role as Rishi Sharma, he has also previously appeared in Holby City, The Bill, Spooks, Only Fools and Horse, Birds of a Feather, Coronation Street, My Family, Skins and Doctor Who to name all but a few.
Bhasker's family life
When not filming, Bhasker is very much a family man and enjoys spending time with his loved ones. A dad of two, the actor is very active on social media and often shares snaps of his stunning daughters with his 18K followers.
Recently he attended his daughter Maya's graduation ceremony after she completed her BA in painting at Camberwell College of Arts.
Beaming with pride Bhasker posted a glam snap of Maya in her gown and cap, he captioned the post: "So proud of our beautiful daughter Maya celebrating her graduation ceremony", followed by a string of heart emojis.
Bhakser has also shown off his other daughter Kiri when he attended the British Soap Awards earlier this year. Kiri is also a graduate, finishing with a distinction in Musical Theatre, prompting her soap dad to pen an heart-felt message on his page.
The actor gushed: "Tears of joy today for my daughter Kiri achieving such amazing exam results after such an incredibly difficult year. So proud of you, a distinction in Music is something to be very proud of. Time for a long overdue new chapter, studying Musical Theatre. Enjoy every moment!".
Bhasker's charity work
While his family and career are his top priorities, the actor is also heavily involved in supported causes which are close to his heart. Back in February, Bhasker led a campaign to raise awareness around male sexual assault partnering up with charity SurvivorsUK, which helps boys and men who have been victims of sexual abuse.
Bhasker documented the story of a man experiencing abuse in the new film titled SAFE, which has been created by award-winning director Dan Lowenstein. The movie follows three men at different stages of their lives sharing the same abuse story.
Bhasker was joined by actors Vic Zander, who has appeared in Emmerdale and Isaac Money, who appeared in award winning film Cat Skin. Meka Beresford, Digital Communications Officer at SurvivorsUK, said: "Working alongside Dan, House of Create, the Media Trust and the incredible actors on this project was such a joyful experience."
"Dan truly poured his heart and soul into creating a film that accurately depicts the experiences of so many survivors of sexual abuse." We hope this film will go far in helping people to understand the impact that sexual violence can have on men, whilst also highlighting that support services like SurvivorsUK exist."
Emmerdale continues to air from 7.30pm on ITV.
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