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Kris Marshall reveals personal reasons led him to quit Death In Paradise

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Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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Kris Marshall has opened up about his decision to leave his role in Death In Paradise after four years. During an interview with The Mirror, the 43-year-old confessed it was getting difficult to leave his young family every time we went to film the murder-mystery series in the Caribbean. "It was very hard as my daughter was only three months old when I left," he explained. "In some ways it was easier for me than my wife, as I didn't have the sleepless nights. I got to leave all of that behind. But it was tough being away from her every day and missing her."

The actor, who is rose to fame in My Family before bagging a cameo in Love Actually, made 16-hour trips back to Britain every six weeks in order to spend time with his wife Hannah Dodkin and their two children, baby Elsie and four-year-old son Thomas. "I got to come back a bit more than I normally would, for a few days every six weeks," he added. "But my daughter grew massively between visits. Thankfully, she still recognised me when I got back, so it was all right."

kris 2a© Photo: Getty Images

Kris Marshall left his role to spend more time with his family

It has since been announced that Kris will be replaced by Ardal O'Hanlan, who is best known for his work in Father Ted. Speaking on Thursday's Good Morning Britain, the father-of-two explained: "It's sad that the news has been leaked. But it's one of those things. I've done four years, it's been an absolutely amazing show, I've loved it, but it's time to move on and give someone else a chance to enjoy some sun."

Could Kris Marshall be the next Doctor Who?

Looking forward to his next venture, Kris shared his delight to pass the reigns to Ardal. "We meet him actually for the first time tonight, so he arrives on the scene as our colleague in London," he continued. "He's fantastic and I'm sure he'll really run with it." Kris first arrived on the show as DI Humphrey Goodman in 2014 during the third season, he was brought in to solve the murder of his predecessor, DI Richard Poole (played by Ben Miller).