Emmerdale viewers were recently taken aback by Archie Breckle's dramatic transformation - but what is the actor's actual age?

Archie, initially portrayed by Adam and Liyana Shahzad, first appeared on screen as the son of Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) and Rachel Breckle (Gemma Oaten).

In January 2014, Rachel fled the village with Archie, returning 12 months later which sparked a custody dispute between Jai and Rachel. Subsequently, Rachel and Archie departed the village once more.

However, in 2019, Archie returned to the village with Kai Assi assuming the role. The teenager came back to the Dales following Rachel's death from an unspecified cardiac condition, which occurred whilst Archie was at a friend's residence.

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

The teenager has appeared regularly since then. This week, Archie returned to screens upon discovering his father's relationship with Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton).

Viewers will remember the couple have been discreetly involved for several months whilst keeping their romance hidden.

Nevertheless, Archie inadvertently entered the room as Kerry discussed an intimate photograph she had sent to Jai. Upon noticing his son's presence, Kerry was mortified.

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Despite this, audiences watching Emmerdale were left astonished by Archie's appearance, with numerous viewers shocked by his physical development.

"I thought he'd been recast," one viewer expressed, whilst another chimed in: "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.

Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX