EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal joined the cast of the BBC One soap as Suki Panesar in January last year.
The feisty matriarch came onto our screens as the mother of Panesar brothers Jags, Vinny and Kheerat, and their sister Ash.
However, Balvinder, 41, has appeared in many other soaps throughout her television career.
The TV star appeared as P.C Marks in ITV serial drama Coronation Street back in 2013 and again in 2017.
She also played a police officer in Emmerdale the follow year in 2018 and arrested villager Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb) over Ross Barton’s (Michael Parr) acid attack.
(Image: BBC)
Soap fans will also remember Balvinder for her role in Hollyoaks as the social worker who observed Courtney Campbell as a mother to baby Iona.
Balvinder’s stint as a series regular on EastEnders means she’s officially appeared in all four major British soaps.
However, the actress does not just feature in soaps. Many also recognised her from her roles in BBC’s Call The Midwife and BBC medical drama, Doctors.
(Image: BBC)
In Call The Midwife, Balvinder played Mumtaz Gani, a childless Pakistani woman whose husband is pressured to marry a second wife.
In Doctors, Balvinder appeared as Aafiyah Choudary in the 2018 episode “Without and Within.”
Some eagle-eyed Waterloo Road viewers may also recognise Balvinder from her small role as a doctor in the BBC school drama series back in 2010.
(Image: BBC/Neal Street productions)
Balvinder’s EastEnders alter ego Suk has proved to be a calculated and multi-faceted character.
The actress was long-listed for Best Villain at the 2020 Inside Soap Awards for her performance and she came second in the Digital Spy Reader Awards under the Best Newcomer category.
Recently, Balvinder spoke out about Suki’s real feelings towards Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton).
The two characters have grown close as Suki leaned on Honey for support following the murder of her son Jags in prison.
“I think it’s really nice to have a friend to bounce off like that,” Balvinder said.
“It’s been really nice to play a different side to this ice queen.
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday on BBC One
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
