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 Nina Wadia for playing Zainab Masood in the BBC soap for six years.
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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.
"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."
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.'
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"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."
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.
"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) was secretly gay.
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 EastEnders 40th anniversary celebration include: A wedding between fan favorites, A huge explosion at the Queen Vic, and A live interactive episode.
Viewers also watched her relationship and family life with Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra), their marriage breakdown, and her abusive relationship with Yusef Khan (Ace Bhatti).
Last year, Nina told The Sun about her hopes for Zainab to return for the soap's 40th annviersary.
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.
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