Hollyoaks star Omar Malik shares message with fans after Shaq's exit

Omar Malik has shared a goodbye note for Hollyoaks fans on Instagram, following his character Shaq Qureshi's decision to leave the village.

Shaq, who arrived in 2021, had been struggling recently after the death of his girlfriend Verity.

He found a brochure suggesting she'd planned a trip to Paris for the pair, which prompted him to trust the sign and leave for France... for good.

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Omar started his post by thanking his supporters, writing: "Thank to all the fans for your kind words and messages... the support you've shown Shaq and I throughout all his misguided adventures and relationships has been 💯 .

"He's been unlucky in love but now tries to make a new life abroad in France!"

Omar also touched upon his pride in the important storyline Shaq has been involved in, which included his arrest for giving false evidence, and a failed engagement with Nadira.

"Hollyoaks is a pioneer in showing difficult family issues and I'm proud to have been part of some of their most challenging storylines," he added.

"The love & support I've been shown since joining from family to friends and everyone tuning in has been so humbling sending it back tenfold. Hope you enjoyed the last episode!
Big Shaq out x"

View full post on Instagram

Plenty of fans and colleagues reached out to return their love to Omar, with one fan expressing their relief that Shaq hadn't been killed off, leaving the door open for a potential return.

Omar hasn't yet revealed what his plans are for the future – but as that hopeful Hollyoaks fan pointed out, the Eurostar does go both ways if he did ever want to return to the show...

Hollyoaks streams first on All 4, with new episodes dropping each weekday morning. The show airs Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, and at 7pm on E4.

Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.