The actress takes to the dance floor this weekend.
Katelyn Mensah
Published: Monday, 15 September 2025 at 7:00 am
Balvinder Sopal has confirmed that she will still be appearing on EastEnders while taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, but fans can expect to see a lot less of Suki Panesar-Unwin while she’s competing.
Sopal was announced as one of the famous faces taking part in the dazzling programme back in August, and won’t be the first EastEnders star to grace the Strictly ballroom, with the likes of Kellie Bright, Emma Barton and Bobby Brazier taking part in the series before.
But Strictly is no easy feat, especially when juggling a full-time role, and Sopal has revealed how she will manage both gigs.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Sopal said: “It will be a sort of reduced schedule, but I am working there. And actually, I quite like the idea that I get to do both. Strictly and EastEnders have a really great relationship. We always have somebody from the show on Strictly, so they’re very mindful.
The EastEnders star will certainly be rising to the challenge that Strictly presents, with the actress admitting she is a slight “perfectionist”.
“I think the scrutiny will come from me first before anybody else,” she explained. “Even when I get my lines, I’m like, ‘Why this word? Why not that word? OK, I’ve got to make this work’.
“So I need to try and understand this language that we’re going to be speaking now because it is like another language. So, for me, I can’t think about the scrutiny of anyone else, because then I think I will just fall flat on my backside.”
