STRICTLY star Nina Wadia has confirmed that she will ‘100 per cent’ return to EastEnders and wants bosses to call her.
The 52-year-old actress, who played the feisty matriarch of the Masood family, said she is ready to return to the BBC soap nine years after she left.
The TV star explained that a return for her character is “always on the cards” and she’d be up for spicing things up on Albert Square once again.
Speaking exclusively to HOAR about an EastEnders return, Nina said: “There is always a chance of a comeback, if Enders rang us and said come back, we’d gladly go.
“We had the time of our lives doing that show.”
Nina delighted fans earlier this week by sharing a selfie with her onscreen husband Nitin Ganatra after an unexpected reunion.
“It was amazing seeing Nitin yesterday, what are the chances,” she told us at the premiere of Cirque Du Soleil’s LUZIA at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Speaking about diversity on the soap, she said: “I haven’t seen it for a long time, but I know there is more diversity, they had to have it.
“At the end of the day EastEnders is set in the East End, basically for me it’s ethnic minority heaven, that’s why I like going there.
“It is more representative, I hope having families like the Masood did open more doors for Asian characters, that was needed.”
The soap star explained that she is looking forward to more acting work again and said she is thrilled to return for a second series of The Outlaws.
Nina played battle-axe Zainab Masood on the BBC One soap from 2007 to 2013.
She kept viewers hooked with a series of dramatic storylines – she was often at her wits end with hubby Masood, she struggled with her son’s sexuality and remarried her abusive first husband Yusef.
Nina said goodbye to Albert Square in February 2013, leaving the UK for Pakistan following a series of failed marriages.
Despite his on-screen ex-wife’s departure from EastEnders nine years ago, Nitin continued to play the role of Masood on and off until 2019.
The TV star also took part in this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with pro dancer Neil Jones.
Unfortunately, she was the first celeb to get booted off the show in week two.
She said: “It’s been brilliant, it was a nice experience when I actually got to dance.”
Discussing reports about her being upset after her exit, she said: “I wasn’t annoyed because I wanted to learn more dancing, that’s all it was.
“It was a bit gutting, it was very hard because I felt like I let myself down, like I let my fans down, my family. That’s how I felt. So it was a bit hard.
“I loved the training, I love hard work so for me I put in 100 per cent, don’t get me wrong I don’t miss the blisters and ankle strains.
“But the actual dancing I was so looking forward to.
“The weight just drops off you, I’ve kept that up and I’m doing more exercising.”
The star said she enjoyed “putting herself out of her comfort zone” but admitted that she’d stick to acting in future.
She said: “I learnt how difficult it was, it’s not a side of TV I like very much, so I’m looking forward to more acting work again.”
