Nina Wadia: Last News

EastEnders star Nina Wadia has been announced as the eleventh celebrity to join Strictly Come Dancing 2021. The actress and TV presenter - who played Zainab Masood in the BBC One soap - was unveiled on ITV's Lorraine by stand-in host Christine Lampard.

Get the day's biggest stories sent direct to your inbox so you never miss a thing

BBC’s EastEnders.The actress had played the iconic character for six years, taking on some of the biggest storylines before announcing she was leaving Walford in 2013.Now, Nina, who was awarded an OBE in 2021 for her services to entertainment and charity, has reflected on her period in the soap, admitting that not all is as it seems.Actors on soaps are required to learn hundreds of lines per episode in order to ensure that all episodes run as smoothly as possible while filming.During her stint on EastEnders, Nina, 52, appeared in more than 1100 episodes, airing four nights per week.This, however, is something that has had a lasting effect on her memory outside of work, she claims.Nina, who has made it through to the final of Channel 4’s Can

EastEnders bosses were disappointed when she informed them of her decision to quit the soap in 2013. The Death in Paradise guest star, who was cast as Zainab Masood in 2007, admitted that although she wasn’t unhappy on the BBC show, she missed the creativity of embarking on new acting roles.Nina explained in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk: “It was a huge decision because it’s not like I was unhappy there, I had a great time doing that show and it’s an iconic show to be a part of. “They didn’t want me to leave, they loved the character and everything was going well.“I had just got to a point as an actor where I’m just not one of those actors.

Death in Paradise.The former EastEnders actress revealed that both she and the Father Ted star are “both slightly shy people”, so they found it difficult to do romantic scenes together on the BBC show.Nina recalled in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk: “It was funny, but it was sort of awkward because we’re both slightly shy people.”Fortunately, the actors decided to get over their shyness by incorporating it into their roles and chemistry as an on-screen couple.Nina continued: “So doing a sort of romantic thing is always awkward and we decided that they were going to be very awkward kind of romantic partners.“To the point where for their first kiss, we kind of clashed teeth, which was very funny and we even said, ‘Let’s do that

Craig David has been given an MBE as part of the Queen’s annual New Year’s Honours list.Revealed today (December 31), the list sees a host of names from the worlds of sport, music and the arts recognised for their services.Alongside David, Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has been knighted as part of the honours, after winning his seventh world title this year, equaling the world record of Michael Schumacher, as well as being an outspoken advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement and campaigns for racial justice.Elsewhere, actor Nina Wadia has been given an OBE, while Lesley Manville has been made a CBE for services to drama and charity.Roger Deakins has also been knighted, following his Oscar win for best cinematography for 1917.Overall,

EastEnders actress admitted her and her husband Raiomond Mirza were “not expecting” Aidan to suffer with health woes and were initially left devastated by the news.Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the Zainab Masood star addressed her experiences as a parent since Aidan was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease.She revealed: “It’s changed our lives entirely, it’s something we were so not expecting that it’s literally turned our lives upside down.“So from first finding out to now, our life is very, very different and it’s almost back to the way it was, which is incredible.“But that’s all down to knowledge and technology, so it’s better than it was.”Nina, who is also mum to daughter Tia Nina, explained she and her family are now coping

Death in Paradise set, which she was “not prepared for” when she signed up to play Anna for season nine.The former EastEnders actor, who acted opposite Ardal O'Hanlon as his character DI Jack Mooney's love interest in the BBC show, had a close call with a deadly insect while filming.Nina explained in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk that a Scolopendra, which is a very large venomous tropical centipede, “ran across her foot” on set.The actress admitted she “brought the place down” due to the incident, as she has a big fear of insects and was concerned she would “end up in hospital” if the bug bit her.While opening up about the downsides to filming on the beautiful French island of Guadeloupe, Nina said: “The negative side was two

EastEnders character Zainab Masood, which played a big part in her decision to leave the BBC soap in 2013.The actress, who was cast as Zainab in 2007, explained that although she wasn’t “unhappy” while working on the series, her husband Raiomond Mirza wasn’t too keen on her character and how the role affected her personality at home.Nina addressed the issue in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, as she recalled: “It was a huge decision [to leave EastEnders] because it’s not like I was unhappy there, I had a great time doing that show and it’s an iconic show to be a part of. “They didn’t want me to leave, they loved the character and everything was going well, I had just got to a point as an actor where I’m just not one of those