EastEnders icon Adam Woodyatt looks worlds away from soap star Ian Beale with bushy beard

EastEnders icon Adam Woodyatt looked worlds away from his soap star persona Ian Beale on Monday, as he showed off a new bushy beard.

The actor, 52, who is currently on a 10-month sabbatical from the BBC One soap, showcased his new shaggy grey beard as he smiled while on a scenic bike ride.

The star, who has been on the soap for 36 years, sported holographic cycling sunglasses, a helmet and a scarf in the sunny selfie.

Wow: EastEnders icon Adam Woodyatt looked worlds away from his soap star persona Ian Beale on Monday, as he showed off a new bushy beard

He captioned the snap: ‘Another day, another bike ride. This time Manchester. Amazing what you see when out on a bike.’

The star’s 54,000 Instagram followers were quick to compliment him on his new look after he posted the snap.

One wrote: ‘Cool beard’ while a second typed: ‘Great photos as always Adam, hope your keeping well lovely’, with a third adding: ‘Lovin the beard.’   

Adam is in the midst of his soap break, eight months after he announced in August that he had split from Beverley Sharp, his wife of 22 years. 

Ian? The actor, 52, who is currently on a 10-month sabbatical from the BBC One soap, showcased his new shaggy grey beard as he smiled while on a scenic bike ride

Icon: Adam has played the hapless Ian Beale for 36 years

Ian? The actor, 52, who is currently on a 10-month sabbatical from the BBC One soap, showcased his new shaggy grey beard as he smiled while on a scenic bike ride (pictured R on the soap)

The couple reportedly separated in August of 2019, but it is thought that they have only now started telling friends about their decision. 

A friend told The Sun that Beverley was ‘very upset’ at the split but added that it’s a ‘straightforward separation’.  

They said: ‘Nobody plans for these things and divorce is a difficult thing to get your head around but they have dealt with it quietly for several months and are now telling friends so it’s less of a secret.

Wow: EastEnders fans were left in shock over the summer, when he showed off his weight loss in a spoiler clip for an EastEnders spin-off show

Just last year: Adam pictured at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019

Wow: EastEnders fans were left in shock over the summer, when he showed off his weight loss in a spoiler clip for an EastEnders spin-off show 

‘They still get on well, and are keen to make sure they stay that way for the sake of their children – even though they are now grown up.’

Adam and Beverley have been married since 1998 and have two children – Jessica, 27, and Samuel, 23.

A spokesperson for the actor said at the time: ‘Beverley and Adam separated in August last year and we ask that the family’s privacy is respected.’ 

MailOnline contacted Adam’s representative for a comment at the time.   

Split: In August, it was announced that Adam had separated from his wife Beverley Sharp after 22 years of marriage (pictured together in 2017)

Split: In August, it was announced that Adam had separated from his wife Beverley Sharp after 22 years of marriage (pictured together in 2017)

Adam shocked fans over the summer, when he showed he’d lost a considerable amount of weight in an EastEnders spoiler clip.

ITV’s This Morning aired a sneak preview of an upcoming episode of EastEnders: Secrets From The Square where the actor looked almost unrecognisable.

Host Stacey Dooley was seen interviewing Adam and his co-star Gillian Taylforth, who has played his mother Kathy Beale over the years.

Yet soap watchers were more distracted by Adam’s staggering weight loss with This Morning’s soap queen Sharon Marshall also impressed. 

She quipped: ‘Gillian Taylforth hasn’t aged in a million years but Adam Woodyatt, I think, is looking very svelte, post-lockdown.’

It is not known how much weight Adam has lost but he is an avid cook and even appeared on the 2019 series of Celebrity MasterChef.

Over: Adam and Beverley tied the knot in 1998 (pictured together in January 2019)

Over: Adam and Beverley tied the knot in 1998 (pictured together in January 2019)

This Morning aired a spoiler clip of the scenes, where the two stars discuss their characters and turbulent mother-and-son relationship.

Ian had been at the centre of the show’s biggest storyline last year with the death of Dennis Rickman Jr after he caused the teenager to perish in a boat crash – which marked the soap’s 35th anniversary in February. 

The long-running drama returned to screens in September, following a 12-week break after it ran out of episodes while filming was halted amid the novel coronavrius pandemic last year.

After almost three months off air, BBC bosses joked that they ‘couldn’t wait for series two’, after the soap previously ran uninterrupted for 35 years.

The announcement was made across Eastenders’ social media platforms, including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

Family: Adam and Beverley were married for 22 years and have two grownup children, Jessica and Samuel, together (pictured together in May)

Family: Adam and Beverley were married for 22 years and have two grownup children, Jessica and Samuel, together (pictured together in May)

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk