EastEnders’ Balvinder Sopal found lesbian affair plot 'daunting'

‘EastEnders’ star Balvinder Sopal has found her recent same-sex storyline “daunting”.

The 42-year-old actress - who plays Albert Square businesswoman Suki Panesar - says her no-nonsense character's latest plot, which has seen her become close to Eve Unwin (Heather Peace), is “everything” she’s never done before on screen.

She told BBC Radio Kent: “For a lot of my career I have played women who have never been exposed in that way, sexually.

“It has always been women who cannot speak English, that wear a hijab.

“Suki is everything I have never played.

"So doing kissing scenes with somebody that is not a partner is quite daunting and weird and strange.”

Balvinder also praised Heather and how supportive she had been on set while playing out Suki’s self-discovery storyline, after the character's controlling husband Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) was released from prison after spending 20 years inside.

Recently, Heather labelled Eve and Suki’s union “a meeting of souls”.

The 47-year-old actress said: "It's two strong women. Eve won't take any c*** from her and sees right through it. She isn't scared of her; there's nothing she could do. Eve's a protector," Heather shared of her character's role in the show and the pair's relationship.

"To play a love story has been great. Women of a certain age don't just jump into bed together. It's a meeting of souls."

Earlier this month, former 'Emmerdale' and ‘Coronation Street’ star Balvinder called it “the worst time” for Nish - the father of her four kids Kheerat (Jaz Singh Deol), Ash (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha) Vinny (Shiv Jalota) and the late Jags (Amar Adatia) - to return to Walford.

She said: "It’s the worst time for Nish to walk back into her life. It’s a very dangerous thing for Suki. If the family is split now, [she] could face complete isolation with Nish back.

"It puts things into context for the viewers and me as an actor. It’s a dangerously slow game that pushes Suki to the edge, and it’s exciting to see what she and Nish will do."