Death in Paradise star Tobi Bakare shares near exit from acting for totally different career

Sergeant JP Hooper, portrayed by Tobi Bakare, bid farewell to the idyllic setting of Death in Paradise after its tenth series, opting to prioritise family life. The BBC swiftly introduced Shantol Jackson as the new Officer Naomi Thomas.

Naomi made a splash in series 11, eager to make a good impression on her new colleagues Neville Parker (Ralf Little) and Florence Cassell (Josephine Jobert). Before his departure, JP had the opportunity to interact with Marlon Pryce (Tahj Miles), a reformed troublemaker joining the police force.

Their on-screen relationship was initially tense, but they eventually found common ground for the benefit of the team. Behind the scenes, however, Tobi and Tahj enjoy a fantastic rapport. During an episode of his Table Read podcast, Tobi discussed with Tahj his reasons for leaving the popular show.

Read more Death in Paradise's Ardal O'Hanlon on real reason he left BBC show over 'concern'

Tobi opened up about his acting journey, even sharing a moment when he almost quit and "didn't look back" until a drama school mentor persuaded him otherwise, reports the Mirror.

He also shared with Tahj how his friends encouraged him to attend drama school, where he fell in love with acting after just three weeks. "But it was a toss-up between football and acting because the football was going good," Tobi admitted, reflecting on the pivotal decision in his early career.

"I was around about the age of 14 and as the football was going good as well, I was like, 'I'm going to have to like quit this acting thing to pursue football'." He then explained how being scouted by several football clubs nearly led him to drop his acting pursuits.

But a twist of fate occurred when he went to tell his drama teacher about his decision. "I was like getting into the Hackney team on the verge of getting into the London team and I was just like, 'Okay, cool, this is something that I can do' you know? And plus, when you're from my ends, Hackney or South London or wherever football is the pathway out, everyone wants to be a footballer."

He continued, sharing his family's connection to the sport: "That was my bag and my older brother was a football player, my dad used to play football when he was in Nigeria, so there's a history of it as well. So basically, I ended up deciding to go ahead and quit the drama school. I was like, 'I am going to go in and tell them I am done' and then I go in and I'm like, 'I'm thinking of leaving my football is going good'."

Tobi then recounted the pivotal moment with Femi Oguns, founder of Identity Drama School: "And then Femi Oguns, who is the founder of Identity Drama School. He was also a teacher at that time because it was so fresh, he had to do everything. He just tells me he goes, 'Just stay' and I went, 'Okay' and I walked in, and didn't look back. It was so strange."

Following his departure at the end of series 10, Tobi's character was succeeded by a fresh face, Naomi, who arrived with a determination to leave her imprint. He made a brief return in the latest series when his mate Marlon Pryce bid farewell to Saint Marie.