'EastEnders' Star Nina Wadia Turned Down Return As Zainab Masood Last Year

'Never say never.'
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Former ‘EastEnders’ star Nina Wadia has revealed she turned down the chance to return to Albert Square, as she’s currently trying to make it across the pond.

Nina was best known to soap fans as Zainab Masood, a role she played in the soap for six years until she stepped down back in 2013.

Since then, she’s starred in the BBC reboot ‘Still Open All Hours’ and landed film roles in ‘A Streetcar Named Bob’ and ‘Finding Fatimah’, but revealed in an interview on ‘This Morning’ that she could have made a return to Walford.

Nina Wadia
Nina Wadia
Ken McKay/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock

However, she refused the offer, as she’s currently waiting to find out whether she’s bagged a big role in the US.

She said on Wednesday (12 April): “They did [ask me back] last year actually, they did! But I was doing a pilot out in the States and I said I couldn’t do it, I’m still waiting to hear on that.”

Nina in character as Zainab Masood
Nina in character as Zainab Masood
BBC

The pilot in question is for a new show by comedians Mindy Kaling and Charlie Grandy, who are best known for ‘The Mindy Project’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’ respectively.

Nina plays a “piece of work” nail technician, adding: “I love her! I will know [whether the show is going ahead] in about seven weeks”.

If Nina does land the TV role, she won’t be the first former ‘EastEnders’ star to make it big overseas.

Ben Hardy, who played Peter Beale, is currently enjoying success as a new addition to the ‘X-Men’ cast, while Michelle Ryan went on to star in the US drama ‘Bionic Woman’.

Ben Hardy

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