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The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
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
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Corrie and Emmerdale stars who have appeared in BOTH shows before epic crossover episode – how many do you remember?
CORONATION Street and Emmerdale are set to join forces for the very first time next year in an epic crossover episode. The unmissable stunt will see both soaps side-by-side for the first time, with consequences for the residents of both the Dales and Weatherfield. Advertisement 14 Emmerdale and Coronation Street are set to join forces next year But it's not the first time stars of the shows have appeared in both soaps - many have crossed over several times. Here's a list of soap stars that have made their presence known in both Corrie and Emmerdale: Claire King Claire King played the role of Kim Tate in Emmerdale from 1989 until 1999. She then took on the role of Erica Holroyd in Corrie from 2014 until 2017. In September 2018, Claire reprised her role as Kim Tate in Emmerdale after nearly 20 years away, for a special week of episodes in October 2018. She then returned permanently in 2019. Advertisement Read more on Corrie She is known as one of the show's most iconic characters. Daniel Brocklebank 14 Daniel playing the role of Billy Mayhew in Corrie Credit: ITV 14 Daniel played the role of Ivan Jones in Emmerdale from 2005 to 2006 Credit: Rex Daniel played the role of Ivan Jones in Emmerdale from 2005 to 2006, appearing in 107 episodes in total. Advertisement Ivan was originally introduced as a minor role in a storyline about the character of Jarvis Skelton and was only meant to appear in three episodes. But he was kept on and was seen embarking on a relationship with Paul Lambert, the brother of Nicola King. Most read in TV Exclusive Exclusive Exclusive More recently, Daniel took on the role of Billy Mayhew in Corrie in 2014 and has remained a regular on the soap ever since. He takes on the role as vicar at Emily Bishop's parish and dates barman Sean Tully on the soap. Advertisement Chris Bisson 14 Chris Bisson played Vikram Desai in Corrie from 1999 to 2002 Credit: Rex 14 Chris Bisson as Jai Sharma in Emmerdale Credit: ITV Chis is most known for his roles as Vikram Desai in Corrie from 1999 to 2002 and Jai Sharma in Emmerdale, which he joined in 2009. In Corrie, he portrayed Vikram, the cousin of Dev Alahan, but after a four-year stint, he decided to leave the show to relocate to Mumbai. Advertisement In Emmerdale, Chris plays businessman Jai, who has taken on various storylines, including a bitter split from his wife Laurel. Rebecca Sarker 14 Rebecca playing Manpreet Sharma in Emmerdale Credit: ITV 14 Rebecca played the role of Nita Desai in Corrie from 1999 to 2000 Credit: Rex Rebecca played the role of Nita Desai in Corrie from 1999 to 2000. As her first acting role, she starred alongside now co-star Chris Bisson, who played her on-screen brother Vikram Desai. Advertisement In her role, she was seen managing the Corner Shop and having a fling with Steve. She has since played Manpreet Sharma in Emmerdale from July 2018. Taking on the role as the village doctor, she has been at the centre of many major storylines, including being the sister of serial killer Meena Jutla. Zoe Henry 14 Zoe is most known for playing the role of Rhona Goskirk in Emmerdale Credit: ITV Advertisement 14 Zoe first showed up on the cobbles in 1998 as Log Thwaite Credit: Rex Zoe is most known for playing the role of Rhona Goskirk in Emmerdale but many forget that she also appeared on Corrie as Casey Carswell between March and September 2007. Zoe first showed up on the cobbles in 1998 as Log Thwaite, Spider Nugent's vegan girlfriend. Despite just appearing in six episodes, Zoe's character made quite the impression, especially when Advertisement This ultimately led to Spider breaking up with her. In 2007 she returned as Casey Carswell, who became friends with Claire Peacock before having an affair with Claire's husband, Ashley. Meanwhile on Emmerdale, Zoe's character is currently involved in a dramatic storyline. Rhona's stepdaughter April Windsor suddenly went missing on Christmas Day. Advertisement After her family was left fearing that she was dead for weeks, police It is still unclear what happened to the girl, and viewers are worried her mysterious disappearance may be the Sally Ann Matthews 14 Sally Ann Matthews as Sandra Briggs in Emmerdale Credit: Rex 14 Sally Ann Matthews as Jenny Bradley in Corrie Credit: ITV Advertisement Sally Ann is known for playing Jenny Bradley, daughter of the villainous Alan Bradley, in Corrie, from 1986 to 1991. She then joined the cast of Emmerdale in 2005 as farmers wife Sandra Briggs, but left less than a year later. In 2015, she returned to Corrie as Jenny. Ryan Prescott 14 Ryan is known for playing Ryan Connor in Corrie Credit: ITV Advertisement 14 Ryan playing Flynn Buchanan in Emmerdale Credit: Rex Features Ryan is known for playing Ryan Connor in Corrie and Flynn Buchanan in Emmerdale. Ryan joined Corrie in 2018 and is part of a major storyline amid the acid attack on the soap and is stuck in a love triangle alongside Daisy Midgeley. Before this he had his first big soap role in Emmerdale in 2011, Ryan played Flynn Buchanan, a love interest for Aaron Dingle. Advertisement The soap first, which will be broadcast in January 2026, teases that characters from both shows will depart and exciting new faces will join as the cast from each of the long-running ITV programmes come face-to-face for the first time. The hour-long episode is to mark the start of the new 'soap power hour' - a schedule change taking hold from early next year. Emmerdale and Corrie will each broadcast a 30-minute episode every-day back-to-back as part of the new programming changes with the huge stunt set to kickstart it all. ITV tease that the one-off mash-up will have "everlasting consequences for everyone involved" and will rock Weatherfield and the Dales forever. Advertisement Both shows producers, scriptwriters and production teams have worked together to create the record-breaking episode with the impact then being felt as both programmes return to their own hubs for months to come. Bosses from both shows also say that whilst the soaps will only be seen on-screen together for the one episode, the communities will be forever linked as a result of the as-yet undisclosed stunt. There will also be an interactive twist for fans to determine one part of the episode. A vote will be opened allowing soap fans to choose which Emmerdale and Coronation Street character will share a carefully-written scene together as part of the episode. Advertisement The schedule change sees both soaps lose one episode a week amid dwindling ratings. Both programmes currently enjoy six outings a week but this will be down to just five following the epic stunt episode. Emmerdale will air at 8pm followed by new episodes of Corrie at 8:30pm. The programmes will continue to upload their episodes to ITVX at 7am each morning. Advertisement 14 The epic crossover episodes will be shown in January 2026 Credit: Rex
