EastEnders star Nina Wadia was one of the last names to join the cast of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Last week Nina was revealed as the 11th contestant to sign up for the 2021 series
And, much like the rest of the hopefuls, Nina revealed that, while she is excited, she’s also pretty nervous about dancing in front of millions of people on a Saturday night.
However, huge viewing figures are no stranger to Nina, perhaps best known to soap fans as Albert Square legend Zainab Masood.
She left the soap in 2013 – but would she ever go back?
Find out all that and more here, with everything you need to know about Strictly star Nina Wadia.
Strictly Come Dancing cast: Why did Nina leave EastEnders?
Nina – who is married to Raiomond Mirza – has previously admitted she left the BBC soap after feeling like she was morphing into her character.
She joined the soap in 2007 and quit after six years, admitting: “I was turning into my character, to which my husband amazingly said: ‘I don’t like the woman so can I have my wife back?’”
Read more: Kevin Clifton hints at return to Strictly Come Dancing
Nina duly obliged, in part because she wanted to spend more time with their kids Tina, 17, and Aidan, 14.
However, after several years away, it appears Nina hasn’t ruled out a return to her infamous soap character.
“I asked to be killed off, because I wanted a big story end. But they didn’t want to kill the character, which was much loved by the audience.
“I love that show and it did a lot to my career. I will always be thankful to EastEnders and if they asked me to, I would absolutely go back for a bit,” she said.
What else has Strictly hopeful Nina been in?
Nina first came to prominence in BBC sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.
She’s appeared in Open All House and the spin-off Still Open All Hours, appeared in the Vicar of Dibley and Holby City, and served as a regular Loose Women presenter between 2005 and 2006.
Read more: Strictly pro Aljaz Skorjanec to ‘move out’ of home he shares with Janette Manrara
Her greatest achievement though perhaps came when she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours.
She was awarded the gong for services to entertainment and charity.
How did Nina shed almost two stone?
Back in 2017, after leaving Zanaib far behind her, Nina embarked on a lifestyle overhaul.
She ended up losing 26lb – almost two stone – after seeing herself on screen in a film called Finding Fatima.
At the time, she explained: “I saw myself in this little indie movie I did called Finding Fatima.
“I thought, I look like I ate myself, I really need to change the way I look.
“I made my family miserable by making everyone eat healthy,” she said.
Nina also increased her levels of exercise, which should stand her in good stead when it comes to her training for Strictly Come Dancing.
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