**Emmerdale viewers were left shocked on Thursday night when Kirin Kotchea killed Tess Harris in a drink-driving accident. **
Now Adam Fielding, 22, has opened up about his decision to quit the ITV soap – and addressed rumours his exit was due to stress.
Sharing a video with his Twitter followers, Adam explained: “I wanted to make this video to clear some things up. A lot of the journalists think I ‘quit’ Emmerdale because I was feeling ‘stressed out’. I mean this is not the case at all.
“In short my reason for leaving is to pursue other opportunities. You know, I’m an actor and my journey does not end with Kirin. Believe me there are a lot of opportunities in the pipeline. Obviously I can’t say too much, just watch this space.”
Adam quit the show in 2015, and filmed his final scenes last month. It is thought his exit will have something to do with Tess’ shock death – but it’s uncertain if the door will be left open for his return.
Discussing the storyline with Yorkshire Post, Adam said: “Where does a human being go when he’s felt what Kirin’s felt?
“So all of this stuff that I’d already done in the first year – it’s stressful, really stressful.”
Adam added: “There’s more to watch and more to be excited by.”
Viewers have seen Kirin struggling to cope with his responsibilities as a father to baby Johnny – so how will he deal with keeping the truth about Tess’ death a secret?