Meet Nina Wadia: Strictly Come Dancing 2021 contestant and former EastEnders star
Nina was the 11th contestant to be confirmed for the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 line-up.
The latest series of Strictly Come Dancing has kicked off in style and one of the names in the line-up is EastEnders star Nina Wadia! She performed a Samba in Week One and has taken her place with her fellow celebs on the Strictly 2021 leaderboard.
We now know the Strictly Come Dancing songs and dances for Week Two and Nadia will be taking on a Tango to Would I Lie To You? by Eurythmics - will she get some high scores as she does it?
The actress, whose career includes Goodness Gracious Me and Still Open All Hours, confirmed that she was taking part during an appearance on Lorraine on 12th August and she is paired with professional dancer, Neil Jones.
She will face competition from the likes of Tilly Ramsay, Dan Walker, Katie McGlynn and the rest of the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 line-up.
But does she have what it takes to go all the way to lift the Glitterball trophy? Here's everything you need to know about Nina Wadia.
Who is Nina Wadia?
Age: 52
Job: Actress
Partnered with: Neil Jones
Instagram: @Nina.Wadia
Twitter: @Nina_Wadia
Nina is an actress and sometimes TV presenter, best known for playing Zainab Masood on EastEnders for six years between 2007 and 2013 – a role which saw her win two British Soap Awards, for Best Onscreen Partnership and Best Comedy.
Her other well-known roles include being part of the main ensemble for the BBC Two sketch show Goodness Gracious Me and starring as Mrs. Hussein in the first four series of Open All Hours spin-off Still Open All Hours.
She's also appeared in guest roles in a number of British TV staples, including Doctor Who, Death in Paradise and Holby City, in addition to having served as a panellist on Loose Women and as a regular presenter on BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live.
She received an OBE in the 2021 New Year's Honours List for her services to charity and entertainment.
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Nina's Strictly journey?
Scoreboard
Week One: Samba (5 + 5 + 7 + 7) = 24
Nina has previously said that she' was "scared" about taking part in the series, telling Christine Lampard on Lorraine, "I like dancing like no one’s watching. So we just need to blindfold the judges and I’ll win!" We'll see if the judges are indeed blindfolded when her journey really begins this weekend.
And asked why she wanted to take part she added, “I just want to grab life by the balls and enjoy it!”
Strictly Come Dancing continues this weekend on BBC One. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide. Visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
