EX-EASTENDERS star looked worlds away from his soap character as he posed with an Apprentice star, two years after leaving the show.
Jaz Deol played beloved character Kheerat Panesar in the BBC soap, before making the sudden announcement that his final scenes had aired in November 2022.
Fans were left devastated as Kheerat left Walford after taking the blame for Ranveer’s murder to protect his mum Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), and is serving a life sentence in prison.
Before his exit, Kheerat had a whirlwind romance with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).
Stacey has now once again found herself in a love triangle with Martin Fowler (James Bye) and Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton).
Meanwhile, soap fans failed to recognise Jaz after an Apprentice star posted a recent photo with him on Instagram.
Raj Chohan, who appeared in the 2024 series of The Apprentice, took to social media to share a snaps from a London press event.
Raj wrote in the caption: “Omg then EASTENDERS meeting @jazsinghdeol – Jaz is just like the super nice guy Kirat! Hope you get let out of prison soon (btw Stacy is with Martin and your dad’s on the loose).”
Actor Jaz looked unrecognisable as he ditched his signature bushy beard and long hair for a shorter and more trimmed style.
He looked suave in his plaid blazer jacket and light blue shirt as he beamed at the camera.
Other celebrities who appeared at the event included comedian Paul Chowdhry and radio presenter and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Nikita Kanda.
While working on EastEnders Jaz also had a side hustle as a property investor with his company JHD Homes.
After quitting the soap, he has taken this role on full time.
The actor and businessman previously posted on his site saying: “There’s no question that market right now is incredibly hot. You could argue the many reasons why but the bottom line is that finding good deals is harder than ever.
“How do you know what is a good deal or a bad deal? That’s entirely up to you. Key thing is to know your criteria, your why and your level of comfort with risk.”
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and is available to stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
MICHELLE Collins has seen her second EastEnders stint boost her bank balance. Yet what stars have quit this year?
The Sun exclusively reported how Michelle, 62, was down to £20,000 in her company accounts when she agreed to a shock back-from-the-dead return to Albert Square last year.
Her character, Cindy Beale, was presumed dead off-camera in 1998.
Yet what about the 2024 exits?
Earlier this summer, loyal soap fans appeared to note how Stevie Mitchell had “quit” the long-running series.
It came after Alan Ford enjoyed just six-months on-screen.
Bobby Beale actor Clay Milner Russell also left this year after five years in Walford.
Fans also feared Martin Fowler actor James Bye would “quit out of boredom” over recent storylines.
Additionally, a host of stars have quit the BBC soap for Hollywood fame.
One of the most successful stars to come from the BBC One soap is Rob Kazinsky.
He played Stacey Slater’s brother Sean Slater from 2006 to 2009, he has starred in Hollywood blockbusters Pacific Rim and Captain Marvel.
Ben Hardy, who quit EastEnders as Bobby Beale almost a decade ago, went on to break Hollywood the following year, when he starred as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Since then, he has played Roger Taylor in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and he starred in Michael Bay’s Netflix movie 6 Underground.
Michelle Ryan played Zoe Slater until 2005.
She starred as the lead in short-lived American series Bionic Woman from 2007 to 2008.
