EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal set for Strictly Come Dancing
Balvinder Sopal is set to become the latest EastEnders cast member to compete on Strictly Come Dancing.
EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal is being eyed to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.
The 46-year-old actress, who portrays Suki Panesar-Unwin on the BBC soap, is set to become the latest Albert Square resident to participate in the popular Saturday night dancing series when it returns to screens later this year.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "EastEnders has been a happy hunting ground for Strictly bosses since the show first aired and they believe Balvinder will be a huge hit with fans.
"She's excited by the prospect, too, as she feels viewers will see a different side to her."
Balvinder has played steely matriarch Suki in EastEnders since 2020 and was initially depicted as a villain – faking cancer to win over her family after they turned against her.
Suki eventually won them over and managed to escape the clutches of her abusive husband Nish (Navin Chowdhry), who had attempted to kill her after discovering her secret lesbian affair with Eve Unwin (Heather Peace).
The character married her lover after hiding her true sexuality throughout her adult life and Balvinder was honoured for her portrayal of Suki with the Soap Superstar accolade at last year's Inside Soap Awards.
Prior to appearing in EastEnders, Sopal had played minor roles in the soap operas Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Doctors.
Balvinder will follow in the footsteps of various EastEnders stars who have competed for the Glitterball Trophy in recent years – with the list including Jamie Borthwick, Bobby Brazier and Rose Ayling-Ellis.
A BBC spokesman said of the report: "We don't comment on speculation."
Strictly celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and judge Anton Du Beke thinks it is remarkable that the programme has endured despite scheduled TV becoming "a thing of the past".
The 58-year-old star said: "I don’t think it’ll be long now until scheduled television will be a thing of the past. So to have a show like Strictly Come Dancing, which has to be a scheduled show because you want the audience to vote and sit together and watch the show, it’s unbelievable that it’s still going now in this current climate and as strongly as it is.
"People do want to watch something great that they can watch together. That has always been that unicorn thing that everybody wants to watch together."
