Following an emotional goodbye last night as his character, Aadi Alahan, departed Coronation Street’s iconic cobbles to begin a fresh chapter in India, actor Adam Hussain discloses it was his choice to walk away.

Having become part of Corrie in April 2020 as Dev and Sunita’s son, Aadi, Adam stepped into the role from Zennon Ditchett, who had departed Weatherfield to focus on his A-levels.

Before that, Aadi and his twin sister Asha were portrayed by triplets Hannah, Harris and Ria Ahmed. However, after five years, the actor explains he chose to depart to “spread his wings” and tackle different characters.

His bold decision has clearly paid off as Adam exclusively revealed to the Mirror this week that he has already secured a part in a new feature film, supervised by award-winning horror director Richard Stanley.

In his exclusive newspaper interview discussing his exit, the actor, 24, told the Mirror: “My life has changed for the better since I joined Corrie and it has been such an honour to be part of the amazing cast.

“I joined during the Covid pandemic, which was a weird and surreal time to take on a new character. I’ve loved playing Aadi, I have made good friends on the set, and I am going to miss Corrie dearly.

“But I am going to be 25 in October, and I felt it was the right time to leave. It was my decision, and the producers were so understanding.

“I want to spread my wings a little, go out in the big world and see what else I can do. I am really excited as I’ve got a new role in a horror feature film. I can’t say too much yet, but I am looking forward to it.

“I feel lucky as I’ve also been to lots of other auditions since I finished filming my Corrie scenes in June, and I’ve filmed a part in a short film, Spice For Life, too. We are sending it off to film festivals at the moment. It’s an exploration of cultures coming together.”

The actor is, nevertheless, relieved that Corrie chiefs chose not to bump Aadi off permanently.

“It’s very relieving to know I can always return whenever I want to,” grins Adam. “And they’ve told me the door will always be left open if I ever want to come back. My friends on set were gutted when I first told them, but they also understood. They now have high aspirations about what I am going to get up to in the coming years!”

During recent episodes, Aadi’s world has completely unravelled as he hit the bottle to cope with the shame of Lauren accidentally consuming his spiked beverage and the pressure of managing a company.

It was his father, Dev, who suggested he should head off and begin afresh in India alongside his cousin, Vikram.

At first, Aadi resisted the proposal, but he eventually realised it presented the ideal opportunity to make a completely new start. And Adam says he experienced conflicting feelings whilst filming his final scenes.

“It was both scary and exciting,” he explained. “I had a whole mix of emotions because I did get very nostalgic. I also knew it was the right decision to go.”

Thankfully, he says he didn’t break down during the emotional goodbye scenes.

“I actually had to use a tear stick for when Aadi started crying,” he admitted. “It’s been fun to film this storyline and I also think it has been good to show business owners who are struggling that they aren’t alone.”

Acknowledging he has matured considerably during his stint on Corrie, Adam says he is especially proud to have been part of some hard-hitting storylines.

From being shot at whilst protecting his fiancée, Kelly Neelan, and accidentally letting Lauren Bolton drink LCD to having an affair with married woman Courtney Vance and staging a fake robbery at the corner shop, the actor says he has relished the numerous twists and turns his character has encountered.

“I was 20 when I joined Corrie and I’ve learnt so much,” he says. “I still feel like a kid at heart but I am older now and these five years have flown by. It seems like only yesterday I was arriving on set for the first time to play Aadi. I’ve grown in confidence and I’ve learnt so much about how it works on a soap set as well as the industry as a whole.”

He highlights a car explosion in 2021 that saw Aadi battle for his life as one of his most memorable storylines.

“Filming during the pandemic was also obviously a bizarre time, too,” he went on. “We had to maintain a seven-metre distance with only two people in each scene at a time, which made filming quite challenging.

“But it’s been fun playing Aadi. I like how he enjoys playing the hero, but he has a flawed side as well. I love his awkwardness!”

He also admits he is going to miss Jimmi Harkishin, who plays his on-screen dad, terribly.

“I find Jimmi so funny,” he says. “He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. I learned a lot from him, and he became my second dad – my work dad.

“I’ve kept the ‘golf ball’ set Dev gave Aadi when he asked him to be his best man as a memento. It’s in a chest at home, along with other mementoes from all my other acting jobs.

“I grew up watching Corrie and it’s been so surreal to be able to say I’ve been part of the cast. I have to pinch myself sometimes!”

Adam’s mum Nora, who works in a charity shop, and retired hospitality worker dad Azark are both incredibly supportive of his choice to depart and have welcomed him back to their Manchester home.

Adam – who has three siblings – reveals they’ve always backed him to chase his aspirations.

“I got into acting when I was in secondary school,” he said. “I was a quiet child and getting up on the stage was therapeutic for me. It helped me come out of my shell. Mum and Dad are so proud and watched my last scenes together at home.”

Following his departure from college to join an acting workshop led by his current agent Darren Gordon, Adam secured various television parts including portraying Josh Nubhai in ITV’s The Bay across two series.

He has also appeared in Absentia and No Man’s Land. Adam, who remains unattached, reveals he dreams of globe-trotting through his career one day.

“I’ve already travelled quite a lot before I took on the Corrie role,” he reveals. “I would love to travel everywhere, especially America. I want to get into films and the feature film I’ve been signed up to do is a great stepping stone.

“I am single at the moment. I want to concentrate on my work.”

Nevertheless, he emphasises he’s not planning to switch careers. One newspaper report claimed he was grafting for his family’s tailoring enterprise between acting gigs.

“My brother-in-law owns a tailor,” he clarifies. “So, every now and again I go and help out!”

Regarding whether he believes he’ll ever make a comeback to Corrie’s famous cobbles, the actor grins as he insists: “Never say never! But I do hope Aadi does get a second chance in India. He is going to live with his rich aunt, so you never know, he might turn out to be the new Prince of Mumbai!”