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Corries Kal Nazir star now - Strictly curse, living off-grid and adoption heartache

Kal Nazir was killed off the Coronation Street cobbles in the deadly Victoria Court fire back in 2015, but actor Jimi Mistrys life has been anything but boring since his exit

Its been seven years since Coronation Street fans were forced to bid a fond farewell to Kal Nazir.

The father of Alya and Zeedan Nazir, and son of Yasmeen Metcalfe, Kal made waves on the street as a widowed single father, becoming engaged to Leanne Battersby after a torrid affair.

This, of course, led to a long feud with Nick Tilsley - and to Kal proposing to Leanne but forgetting the ring, which meant he rushed back to Victoria Court to retrieve it.

The fire set there by Tracy Barlow in 2015 ended Kals life when the roof caved in, as Amy and Leanne were ferried out to safety, leaving the street devastated.

But for actor Jimi Mistry, the exit may have been just what he needed to sort out his life off-grid - as he is now a farmer living in Devon.

We take a look into his wild life since Corrie.

Strictly curse

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Jimi and Flavia were partners on Strictly(Image: PA)

Jimis life was affected forever by the infamous Strictly Come Dancing curse, when he was paired up with professional dancer Flavia Cacace in 2010.

The pair quickly fell in love after finding chemistry on the dance floor - but it wasnt the first time the curse had hit for Flavia.

In 2007, Flavia split from her long-term boyfriend Vincent Simone early in the Strictly series, and later got together with her celebrity dance partner and EastEnders star Matt Di Angelo.

Matt said at the time that he didnt allow himself to fancy Flavia until he knew she was single.

The pair dated for three years, but split in 2010 - the same year Flavia and Jimi found each other.

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The pair tied the knot in 2013(Image: instagram.com/ourlifeatthebarn)

Flavia told The Sun of her break-up from Matt: We have broken up. It was due to our work - travelling so much and being away from home so much. We are still in touch and very good friends.

Jimi, however, insists theres no such thing as the Strictly curse, telling HuffingtonPost: Some people might meet their future wife like I did, or they might have something going on in their lives that other people make out to be more than it is, or have flings. Its life theres no curse. Its just the way it is.

The pair married in 2013, and even had the Strictly band playing for their first dance, a Viennese Waltz into a Samba.

Jimi said of the routine: It went from very classic to something quite raunchy. Id never have imagined I would have been doing that, but I dusted off the shoes!

Living off-grid

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Jimi now lives off-grid on a Yorkshire farm(Image: instagram.com/mistryeats/)

Kal was Jimis last on-screen acting role, as he and Flavia later quit fame entirely in favour of running a farm in North Devon.

As well as running the farm, Jimi and Flavia also started FCMfit.com together - a personal training and nutrition business.

Jimi also trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine in 2015, explaining to the Yorkshire Post: I had been an actor for over 20 years, travelled the world and experienced pretty much everything an actor could, from Hollywood to soap and everything in-between but I knew I needed a change."

Theyre now living the self-sustainable dream, gathering eggs, looking after cattle and renovating their incredible farm house.

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Flavia has settled into farm life too(Image: Instagram/flavia_cacace)

In the latest snap posted to their joint Instagram account, Jimi and Flavia showcased a snap of some chicken eggs, explaining: The new Devon Blues have started laying, albeit very cute small ones.

You can see how small they are next to the other 2 eggs which are our normal size. No word from our new bronzes yet but wont be long I think! #HappyHens.

Flavia has also been busy upcycling various pieces of furniture in the family home, including a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe and Indian silver bowl.

EastEnders fame

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Before Corrie, Jimi found fame in EastEnders(Image: BBC)

Away from Corrie, Jimi has had plenty of other roles - and one of his most notable came in rival BBC soap EastEnders.

Jimmi played Dr Fred Fonseca from 1998 until 2000, and looked totally unrecognisable with shoulder-length locks and no facial hair.

Fred was the permanent replacement for Walfords former GP Dr Harold Legg, and was often accused of being insensitive to his patients.

His most notable storylines included coming out as gay to Mick McFarlane - who was left upset that Fred didnt fancy him - and battling homophobia in Albert Square.

Along with EastEnders, Jimi has appeared in everything from East Is East to Black Mirror.

Adoption heartache

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Jimi found out he was adopted when he was 18(Image: Getty Images)

Jimi was 18 years old when his mum informed him that the man he thought was his father wasnt his biological dad.

Speaking to MailOnline, the Corrie star explained: I was eating dinner and she just said, You know I met your dad when you were three.

I didnt understand. How can you say something like that so casually? I didnt speak to her for about 16 years. I blocked it out, put a smile on, said to myself, If I dont know, everything will be okay.

Jimi was brought up on a Peterborough council estate while his mum - who was 17 when he was born - trained at nursing college, and fell in love with his biological dad, who was a doctor from Asia.

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Thankfully things have now settled down for the star(Image: ourlifeatthebarn/Instagram)

Christened James, he later changed his own name to Jimi and embraced the truth of his past until his maternal grandmother died, and his mum finally told him everything.

Jimi then remembered his father at court to sign his adoption papers.

He said: It was like having this whole weight lifted, adding: I never really understood the sacrifice my mum made to have me [] it was very difficult for her not only to be single and pregnant, but to be pregnant with a child of mixed colour.

He was, however, very close to his adoptive dad.

Bitter divorce

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Before tying the knot with Flavia (pictured), Jimi was married to Meg Leonard(Image: Getty Images)

Before tying the knot with Flavia, Jimi was married once before, to ex Meg Leonard, for five years.

They share a daughter, Erin - but divorced in 2010 when it came to the point where it was best [he] left, Jimi admitted to MailOnline.

He explained that the major components of his life, which included being a husband while battling with the feelings over his biological dad and taking acting jobs, didnt make sense.

They had married in 2001.

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