Emmerdale character Archie has been on and off our screens for years

Emmerdale viewers were left gobsmacked recently by Archie Breckle’s dramatic transformation – but just how old is the actor behind the character?

Archie, originally portrayed by Adam and Liyana Shahzad, first graced our screens as the son of Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) and Rachel Breckle (Gemma Oaten).

Rachel fled the village with Archie back in January 2014, returning twelve months later which sparked a bitter custody dispute between Jai and Rachel. Yet Rachel and Archie subsequently departed the village once more.

Several years passed before Archie made his dramatic return to the Dales in 2019, with fresh-faced actor Kai Assi stepping into the role. The teenager came back to the village following Rachel’s death from an unspecified heart condition, whilst Archie had been staying with a mate.

During that same year, Archie – who now resides with his father Jai permanently – became embroiled in a bullying plot involving Arthur Thomas (Alfie Clarke), reports the Mirror.

The youngster has popped up in numerous episodes since then. This week, however, Archie was back on our screens when he discovered his dad’s secret romance with Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton).

Viewers will remember the duo have been quietly courting for months whilst keeping their relationship completely hush-hush.

Yet Archie ended up barging into the room just as Kerry began discussing a saucy snap she’d sent to Jai. Upon spotting his son standing there, Kerry was left absolutely mortified.

Despite this, audiences tuning in from home found themselves utterly flummoxed by Archie’s appearance, with countless fans left completely stunned by his remarkable transformation.

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“I thought he’d been recast,” commented one viewer, whilst another added: “Omg… couldn’t believe that was Archie. He already looked grown up last time we saw him, but he’s changed so quickly. I recognised his face but still had to check the subtitles to make sure it was actually him.”

As anticipated, focus has now shifted to the ages of Archie and actor Kai. The character of Archie was born on 13th December 2012, making him 13 years old. Kai was also born in 2012, meaning he is either 13 or 14 years old.