Former EastEnders star slams soap over ‘ridiculous storylines' and reveals why she really left the show
A FORMER EastEnders star has slammed the soap's 'ridiculous storylines' and revealed why she really left the show.
EastEnders viewers know
Advertisement
4
Nina Wadia played EastEnders' Zainab Masood for six years
Credit: BBC
4
The star addressed her reasons for leaving the soap
Credit: YouTube
4
Nina addressed her character's abuse by Yusef Khan
Credit: Handout
Zainab arrived in 2007 before eventually leaving Walford behind in 2013.
Over a decade on, Nina has addressed the reasons behind her decision to leave.
During an appearance on Channel 5's Vanessa, she explained to host Vanessa Feltz: "When the storylines get so ridiculous and so difficult, you kind of think 'I'm out'".
The actress continued: "The reason I left was because the storylines were getting ridiculous.
Advertisement
Read more on EastEnders
"That was one of the reasons I left. There were several, but that was one of the main reasons.
"My husband Masood was going to have yet another affair.
"And I was like, 'How can I react any differently [to the] way I reacted before when he told me he was having an affair?"
Nina revealed Zainab's initial brief had been "Pauline Fowler, but funny."
Advertisement
Most read in Soaps
Exclusive
Exclusive
Exclusive
Having provided levity and
comic relief
for two years, she was confused to receive a domestic violence storyline.
The star continued: "You thought, 'How can I be funny with that storyline? I don't understand.'
Celeb Millionaire contestant forced to use lifeline on tricky Shakespeare question - but could you get it right-
"I think that's what happens when you have a change at the top, with the execs, they bring in their vision.
"Someone who hasn't really been paying attention to what your character's been doing - all of a sudden, you're asked to do something absolutely ridiculous."
Advertisement
Nina later added: "That's why I wanted to come out of it for a while.
"Hopefully, at some point, they invite me back, it'll be for something more interesting to do."
Vanessa pointed out Zainab hadn't been killed off - meaning Nina could potentially return to the soap one day.
The actress replied by saying: "They wouldn't kill her off.
Advertisement
"I did ask to be killed off because I thought, 'Yay, I'll get a big storyline if I get killed off'.
"But they were like, 'No, we want her back someday.' So, who knows?"
Among Zainab's most notable storylines was discovering oldest son Syed (Marc Elliot)
EastEnders' 40th anniversary cameos so far
With the 40th anniversary of EastEnders coming up, fans are looking forward to some more incredible cameos from iconic faces of Walford's past. But who have we had so far?
Tracy-Ann Oberman
- Oberman returned as Chrissie Watts, a character she last played nearly two decades ago.
Paul Bradley
- Bradley returned as Nigel Bates, a character he last played over 25 years ago.
Micheal French
- French returned as David Wicks, a character he last played two decades ago.
Patsy Palmer
- Palmer returned as Bianca Jackson, a character she last played in 2019.
Ricky Groves
- Groves returned as Garry Hobbs, a character who has not been seen since 2009.
Cliff Parisi
- Parisi returned as Minty Peterson, a character who was last seen on the square in 2010.
Ross Kemp
- Kemp has returned to play Grant Mitchell, a character he first played in 1990. The BBC has described Kemp's storyline as "explosive". Kemp said it was an "absolute honour" to return to the show.
Other aspects of the
Viewers also watched her relationship and family life with Masood Ahmed (
), their
marriage
breakdown, and her abusive relationship with Yusef Khan (
).
Advertisement
Last year, Nina
She shared with us: 'I loved that show. I loved my time on it. I know they've got a big anniversary coming up, and I'm waiting for the call.'
EastEnders airs on BBC One and iPlayer.
4
Nina reflected on the BBC soap's "ridiculous storylines"
Credit: Tiktok
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
EastEnders favourite kicked out by partner in fiery argument as ‘cheating' exposed
AN EastEnders favourite has been kicked out in a fiery row after his 'cheating' was exposed. The BBC soap is no stranger to showing dramatic love lives in Albert Square. 4 Elaine Knight was furious - as a secret husband George kept came to light Credit: BBC 4 George tried to explain himself - but Elaine wasn't having it Credit: BBC 4 Elaine kicked George out - and was left in tears afterwards Credit: BBC George Knight (Colin Salmon) faced the wrath of wife Elaine (Harriet Thorpe) after a secret came to light. Up until now, Elaine believed George had been at a boxing match on Christmas Day - which explained blood being on him. The pub landlord had actually visited Junior's mother Sabrina - and kept it from Elaine. Read more on EastEnders He'd hoped to uncover the reasons behind Junior's behaviour - such as It particularly stung for Elaine, having gotten past George hiding that he was helping Cindy with new venture The Albert. Behind closed doors, he tried to explain himself - but Elaine wasn't having any of it. "You expect me to believe she just threw herself at you?" Elaine said, before adding: "You must think I came down in the last rainfall." Most read in Soaps George insisted he'd only visited to talk, but Sabrina misread the situation and tried to kiss him. He claimed the bleeding came when he pulled away and Sabrina slapped him - catching his nose. Watch the moment bitter EastEnders rivals come to blows after months of tension Elaine was furious at George not only for lying, but also roping Gina (Francesca Henry) and Kojo (Dayo Koleosho). George reiterated that he loved Elaine, but she said: "But you don't trust me. "Because if you trusted me, you would've come home that night and told me everything. You would've trusted that I would've believed you. "You would've trusted that I'd have been by your side - like I have every single time." Best soap affair love triangles LOVE triangles are a fundamental part of soap-land, but which ones have become the most iconic? EASTENDERS Bradley/Stacey/Max: Stacey Slater began an affair with boyfriend Bradley Branning's dad Max in 2007. Despite their romps, Stacey still married Bradley, but their deceit came out in an iconic Christmas Day episode that year. Grant/Sharon/Phil: Heading even further back in Walford history, EastEnders fans were gripped in the 90s as Sharon Watts had a one-night stand with her brother-in-law Phil Mitchell. Sharon confided in best friend Michelle Fowler - not realising it was caught on tape - and her husband Grant eventually found out and played it in front of everyone at the Queen Vic. Syed/Amira/Christian : Syed Masood was engaged to Amira before realising he had feelings for another man, Christian, which he confessed to him on his wedding day. A devout Muslim, Syed refused to admit his true sexuality and went ahead and married Amira anyway, but when they returned, the two men started an affair before being caught in the act by Amira. CORONATION STREET Shelley/Peter/Lucy: Peter Barlow took the concept of a love triangle and ran with it in Coronation Street - extending it to bigamy. He was in a relationship with Shelley Unwin but started dating Lucy Richards, and quickly married her after she fell pregnant with his son, Simon. But it didn't stop him also marrying Shelley, but he was eventually caught when Lucy turned up in Weatherfield and the two women confronted him. Ken/Deidre/Mike: Back in 1982, Deirdre Barlow started sleeping with her husband's nemesis Mike Baldwin in secret, before confessing all a year later. When Mike turned up at the marital home, Deirdre was being throttled by her husband who then kicked her out, but years later they reconciled. Maria/Aidan/Eva : In 2017, Aidan Connor started sleeping with girlfriend Eva Price's best friend, Maria Connor. Eva eventually found out and she decided to take revenge by faking a pregnancy, spending his money and planned to confront him on their wedding day. But she had a change of heart when a remorseful Aidan confessed, and decided to marry him anyway, only for Maria to arrive and expose her fake pregnancy. EMMERDALE Ross/Debbie/Pete: Debbie Dingle found herself torn between two brothers, Ross and Pete Barton in 2015 in Emmerdale. She eventually decided to marry Pete but yet again, a soap wedding day was ruined when the groom learned of his bride's betrayal via a recording played at the wedding. Chrissie/Robert/Aaron: Robert Sugden was married to Chrissie White and all seemed well - until he began a steamy affair with Aaron Dingle. Robert's ex Katie Sugden almost exposed the affair - but fell to her death before she had the chance. However, a guilty Aaron eventually cracked and told Chrissie about the affair - after which she announced it to the whole pub. Elaine ultimately asked George to leave - saying she didn't think he loved her enough. When he continued to try and smooth things over, Elaine threw a glass at the wall and screamed: "Get out!" After a pep talk from Linda (Kellie Bright) and Johnny (Charlie Suff), Elaine went to find George - only to be left heartbroken by seeing him comforting an upset Cindy. EastEnders airs on BBC One and iPlayer. 4 Will Elaine forgive her husband? Credit: BBC
The Irish Sun
15 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Emmerdale and Coronation Street CANCELLED tonight as soaps hit by schedule shake up
ITV has announced another major schedule shakeup as the soaps are pulled off air. The broadcaster has left soap fans fuming after Coronation Street and Emmerdale have lost their coveted place on the schedules as sports coverage takes priority once again. 2 Emmerdale is cancelled tonight while Cain is under fire for Nate's murder Credit: ITV 2 Coronation Street is pulled from tonight as Craig's memorial takes place this week Credit: ITV Instead ITV viewers can watch take on The match with a kick-off time of 7:45pm forcing both Emmerdale and Corrie off the screens. However, both soaps will be back on our screens tomorrow (Wednesday) in their usual time slots with Emmerdale on at 7:30pm and Corrie on at 8pm. read more on emmerdale This week on the Dales, Cain is a prime suspect for his son's Nate's murder. Widowed Tracy is convinced of her father-in-law's guilt, especially once the finger of suspicion starts pointing her way. When her late husband's phone is found in her house, she defiantly protests her innocence and believes Cain is covering his tracks. Jumpy John watches from the sidelines. Most read in Soaps Should he admit to the accidental killing? Or say nothing and let this twisty plot get more convoluted? Emmerdale's Lisa Riley gives first look tour of Mandy and Paddy's new lovenest On the cobbles, Lisa is forced to step in when Kit fails to attend Craig's memorial. And Todd feels like Theo's lowest priority after his daughter Millie revealed that she is pregnant. But could it be all a ruse to get her dad back home and away from Todd? Meanwhile, on BBC One, EastEnders will air as usual at 7:30pm tonight, or you can stream it from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Soap's biggest whodunnits EastEnders - Who shot Phil Mitchell? The "Who Shot Phil?" storyline was a whodunit mystery that captured the attention of viewers and the media. The episode revealing the culprit was watched by 23 million viewers. Lisa Shaw, Phil Mitchell's former girlfriend and the mother of his child Louise, was revealed as the killer as Phil slept with Lisa's best friend. Phil forgave Lisa, and they agreed to keep the truth a secret. Coronation Street - Who killed Tina McIntyre ? The popular actress Michelle Keegan played Tina McIntyre for several years on the Cobbles, but she ended up being killed by Rob Donovan in a tragic turn of events back in 2014 when he chased her onto the balcony of the Builder's Yard. When she tried to leave, he pushed her and she fell off the roof, with Rob convinced he killed her. With Tina still alive, he attacked her with an iron bar but she survived that attack and was rushed to hospital as doctors tried to save her. Emmerdale - Who pushed Emma Barton? Emma was then pushed off a viaduct by Moira after she talked ill of her dead daughter Holly, who died of an overdose in October 2017. Although Moira was responsible for Emma's death, her son, Adam Barton, took the fall for the murder since he was already a prime suspect and he didn't want Isaac to grow up motherless. Hollyoaks - Glove Hand Killer The Gloved Hand Killer was a mystery serial killer, who claimed the lives of 7 characters between January and October 2015, all by injecting them with potassium chloride. The Gloved Hand Killer's targets were all people who had done wrong in some shape or form. There were 6 suspects for who the Gloved Hand Killer was, and the killer's identity was revealed in October 2015. It was revealed to be doctor Lindsey Butterfield who had been killing people at the hospital.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
CBBC star gives birth to first baby and shares adorable pics after secret pregnancy
Former CBBC child star Klariza Clayton has given birth to her first baby. The actress, who is best known for appearing as Sam on CBBC series Dani's House alongside news with fans. 4 Klariza Clayton has welcomed her first child Credit: instagram 4 The actress appeared in Dani's house on CBBC Credit: BBC 4 She also played Karen in Skins Klariza - who went on to appear in snap of herself holding the new born and revealed her bundle of joy had arrived early. She wrote: '4 weeks early, 3 weeks postpartum, 2 weeks since being discharged from the hospital and 1 week until the original due date. It's been a wild 21 days. 'Welcome to the world little one, we are so in love with you.' Klariza and her partner Jordan were quickly congratulated on their new arrival as their friends and followers took to the comments section underneath the post. Read More on CBBC Klariza's former Dani's House co-star and Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer gushed: 'Aw huge congratulations lovely!!! Much love to you both.' While her former Skins co-star Kaya Scodelario wrote: 'Love you both so much.' And Downton Abbey actress Jessica Brown Findlay penned: 'Congratulations!!! So so happy for you. Early can be scary. But trust me, they make up for it xxx.' Klariza first found fame as a teen on hit CBBC series Dani's House. Most read in Drama She appeared in all five seasons between 2008 - 2012. Klariza playing Karen McClair - the sister of Freddie in Skins The actress also starred in Channel 4 teen drama Skins. Klariza played Karen McClair, who was the sister of Freddie McClair (played by Luke Pasqualino), in seasons three and four. Following her roles in Skins and Dani's House, Klariza went on to land the role of Joy Mercer in Nickelodeon's House of Anubis. She appeared on the show throughout its run between 2011 - 2013. She has also had roles in other shows including Eastenders, The Bill and Bulletproof. 4 The actress has had a number of roles over the years Credit: instagram
