EastEnders actor Davood Ghadami, best known for playing Kush Kazemi in the BBC soap, has reportedly left his wife of 13 years and moved in with his panto co-star
EastEnders actor Davood Ghadami has allegedly ‘split from his wife’ for his panto co-star. The 42 year old Davood, who starred in Aladdin over Christmas 2023, worked alongside 32-year-old Melanie Barker, who played Princess Jasmine.
Despite being married and playing adversaries on stage, it appears the pair had a strong off-stage connection. According to The Sun, Strictly Come Dancing star Davood “flirted” with Melanie during their stint together and maintained contact after the show’s conclusion.
They have reportedly left their respective partners and are now living together, with Davood’s two children and Melanie’s three kids residing with them in Essex. An insider revealed: “They are two very attractive people and it was clear they had sizzling on-stage chemistry together.
“There was a lot of flirting backstage and I’m sure Aladdin wouldn’t have been happy that Princess Jasmine was giggling with Abanazar behind his back.”
They continued: “But the genie is now well and truly out of the bottle and they are a proper couple – living together, training together and posting photos on Instagram together. It’s almost like a perfect fairytale ending – but for the previous partners they have left in their wake.”
Davood and Melanie frequently share cosy snaps and fun activities on social media, reports the Mirror.
However, before Melanie, Davood often expressed his affection for his wife. The actor tied the knot with Isobel in 2010, and they have two daughters: Eve, born in 2012, and Grace, born in 2015.
Back in 2018, the star gushed to Woman magazine: “My wife and I know each other inside out and have a genuine understanding about how the other ticks. We met 17 years ago at university so we’ve got a lot of shared history.”
He added: “I’m an incredibly lucky man. My life couldn’t be the way it is without her support. She was amazing when I was in Strictly and kept everything going.”
When Davood took to the dance floor on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 with pro partner Nadiya Bychkova, whispers of the notorious Strictly ‘curse’ followed, especially after judge Bruno Tonioli said their samba was like a “race to the bedroom”. But Davood swatted away any gossip of unfaithfulness, affirming that he and Isobel were clued up on the reality of TV dances.
“People will say things. As long as you know the truth and the people you love know the truth it shouldn’t matter. I guess I did learn that,” he pointed out. “My wife watches Kush on the TV pretending to be married to or sleeping with another character. So she is used to dealing with this sort of situation in my professional life. She is the rock, the steadiness in my life and she knows that. I’m incredibly lucky. She is so supportive.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
