Balvinder Sopal reveals she feared being axed from EastEnders ahead of Strictly Come Dancing casting
EastEnders star thought her character was going to be killed off
- Balvinder Sopal, who portrays Suki Panesar in EastEnders, initially feared her character was being killed off when executives called for an unexpected meeting.
- The meeting was actually to gauge her interest in joining Strictly Come Dancing, following an approach from the show's producers to EastEnders.
- Sopal confirmed her participation in the 2025 series of Strictly after discussions with her agent.
- She sustained a hip/glute injury during her first day of rehearsals but continued training after a physio assessment confirmed it was just tightness.
- In the first live show, Sopal and her professional partner Julian Caillon performed a samba, receiving 17 points from the judges.