By Jessica Sansome

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Balvinder Sopal has shared what her ‘concern’ is ahead of her Strictly Come Dancing debut as she prepares to show the real her in the ballroom. The actress has played the cunning, ruthless businesswoman and mum Suki Panesar-Unwin in EastEnders since 2020, and despite having plenty of experience in front of the camera, there is one element of Strictly that is making her nerves rise. “I’m more concerned about the live element,” she said. “I haven’t been on stage since 2019. Prior to that, a lot of my work was staged, and so I think I’ve become a little complacent with the screen. “Because you can go for another take, you can pick up a line and all of that kind of stuff, whereas here it’s going to be live and filmed. So it’s a little bit nerve-wracking, actually.” But what Balvinder, 46, is keen to prove she’s not her EastEnders character as she hits the dance floor in the BBC One dance contest. “I think that’s what’s really key, is that this is a chance for all of us to show who we are at heart,” she told the Manchester Evening News ahead of Strictly’s 2025 launch on Saturday (September 20). She continued: “Particularly with something like EastEnders, four days a week in someone’s living room, people think you are that person and that you respond to every situation with a lifted eyebrow and a snarl… “And that’s not the case. The [audiences] might be like, ‘How can that person play Suki Panesar-Unwin?'” Balvinder will be joined by 14 other celebrities who will battle it out to win the coveted Glitterball Trophy. They are 36-year-old Olympic sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – also known as Nitro from BBC’s Gladiators – Love Island star Dani Dyer, 29, retired footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 53, and Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston, 62. Also competing are YouTuber-and-podcaster George Clarke, 25, trailblazing model Ellie Goldstein, 23 – the first model with Down Syndrome to grace the cover of British Vogue magazine – and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star La Voix, 45, will grace the ballroom floor. In addition, retired England rugby player Chris Robshaw, 39, The Apprentice 2019 candidate Thomas Skinner, 34, former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison, 37, and Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis, 66, were also confirmed to be taking part in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing. And completing this year’s line-up are Lorraine and Good Morning Britain’s Los Angeles Correspondent Ross King, 63, former England women’s football player Karen Carney, 38, and Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, 30 – who replaced Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn, 49, after he withdrew from the series for medical reasons.