The actor announced his departure last week, however he has now confessed the real reason behind his EastEnders exit.
Speaking to MC Harvey from So Solid Crew in an interview, Richard revealed that his contract wasn’t renewed.
He explained: “There was no bad vibe between me and EastEnders [about] leaving.
“It just so happened that I came to the end of my contract and they weren’t going to renew it.”
However, he said he knew it was time for him to leave.
“So when I came into EastEnders… I said if I get more than one year, I reckon I’m going to do three years… EastEnders is its [own] movie, I’m a character within it…
“My character within that movie had to leave.”
He went on to say he began to see an issue with his character’s direction.
“This is no disrespect to [EastEnders], but the storyline, where it started to go, I wasn’t feeling.
“Where they started to take my character, and people will see where my character goes towards the end, I wasn’t feeling.
“It was like, ‘No, it’s time’.”
Speaking to Digital Spy last week, Richard confirmed he would be leaving his role as Vincent.
He divulged: “I have loved every minute of my time at EastEnders, and although I will be sad to say goodbye, after three years it feels the right time to leave.
“I have been truly blessed with some great storylines since the moment I joined, but when I was presented with my last story, I knew it was time for Vincent to depart Walford.
“I’m now excited about what the future holds. I have a feature film out this year, I will be returning to theatre and also some great presenting TV gigs.”
A spokesperson for EastEnders also said in a statement: “We can confirm that Richard will be leaving EastEnders this spring.
“Richard has been a great addition to the show and we wish him all the best for the future.”
Richard first joined the soap back in February 2015, and has been a part of several major storylines.
As well as the heist saga, he was also involved in a heart-wrenching plot after his wife Kim (played by Tameka Empson) suffered a miscarriage last year.
EastEnders continues tomorrow at 7.30pm on BBC One.
