Death in Paradise star Ardal O'Hanlon reveals real reason he left show Hello! 31/12/2020 Ardal O'Hanlon left Death in Paradise in season nine. After confirming his departure back in 2019, Ardal said in a statement that it was "time to move on and explore other opportunities", but now the actor has opened up on the real reasons for his exit. In an interview with HELLO! and other reporters in early 2020, Ardal explained the reasons why he felt it was best he stepped down. "I would be very worried about overstaying my welcome," he began, adding: "When I started, I thought I'd be lucky to last a summer, and I kind of always in the back of my head [thought] you do three series and that's kind of it.