EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal has revealed the chances of Suki and Eve Panesar-Unwin reuniting after their dramatic split.
Suki was involved in a very tricky situation this month, when she discovered that her granddaughter Avani was pregnant – and offered to bring up the teen’s unborn baby herself.
What to Read Next
Avani eventually chose to have an abortion and Suki’s secret scheme was exposed, with her entire family turning against her when the truth was revealed.
Eve also reached breaking point and moved out of the house, with the future of the couple’s marriage left up in the air.
But speaking exclusively to us at a photoshoot for the Inside Soap Awards 2025, Balvinder, who plays Suki, says she’s hopeful for Sukeve’s future – although there’s some big decisions to be made.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
“I think Eve just needs some space,” she said. “Even though she knows Suki is a bit of a menace, Eve’s blindsided herself because Suki is her weakness.
“However, now Eve is really starting to see who Suki is, and the challenge is: does she accept and work with that, or do they go their separate ways? I’d hate for that to happen.
“EastEnders never lets us down on the drama front. There’s going to be twists and turns, and ups and downs, and hopefully a lot of rekindling…”
Balvinder played an integral role in Suki and Eve’s dramatic New Year’s Day wedding scenes. The huge week of episodes resulted in Nish’s death, and Suki’s final showdown with her abusive ex-husband has been nominated for Best Showstopper this year.
“It was extraordinary to be part of that whole storyline,” Balvinder reflected. “It culminated in the wedding of Suki and Eve, which was the first lesbian wedding for EastEnders, so we could celebrate that.
“Mixed emotions, because we were saying goodbye to Navin [Chowdhry, who played Nish], but it was an absolute feast for all of us actors to delve into, and we had a brilliant time doing it.”
Within the chaos of the day, Suki an
d Eve thankfully got married successfully, and Balvinder said it was important that the fan-favourite pair tied the knot.
“Suki and Eve are great representation for a lot of people, and it’s always important to give the public what they want,” she said. “And I think everybody wanted Suki and Eve to get married – and we did it in the most spectacular fashion!
“People could see themselves [in Suki and Eve], so I think it was really important for the whole storyline to come to its natural fruition.”
Our photoshoot took place on the very day that Balvinder was announced as a contestant on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, and we were able to ask her all about this exciting reveal.
“Thank god [the news] is out now, I don’t have to keep it a secret anymore!” she smiled. “It’s brilliant. It’s daunting because it’s such a big thing, just like it was when I got EastEnders. But I think it’s going to be absolutely fantastic, and I can’t wait to get on that dancefloor!”
Asked why fans should get behind EastEnders in the Best Soap category this year, Balvinder replied: “We give you drama, we give you love and romance and excitement, and it’s always thrilling.
“We’ve got an amazing cast, an amazing team that work extremely hard to put great storylines that all of you can relate to, that give you voice, that allow you to be seen and allow you to enjoy the characters that you watch. So vote for EastEnders!”
