The fifth contestant of the upcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing has been announced. Excitement is building ahead of the 2025 edition of the BBC contest.
Four celebrities were confirmed to be donning their dancing shoes in the first of the cast announcements for the 23rd season. Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Dani-Dyer Bowen, Alex Kingston and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were thrilled to confirm they would be involved in this year’s race for the Glitterball.
It has today been confirmed that EastEnders star, Balvinder Sopal, will be the fifth celebrity on this year’s line-up. The news was exclusively confirmed by Richard Arnold on Tuesday’s edition of Good Morning Britain. The 46-year-old actor is renowned for her role as Suki Panesar-Unwin in the BBC soap.
She follows in the footsteps of co-stars Bobby Brazier and Maisie Smith in trading Walford for the Strictly dancefloor. Balvinder was in disbelief as she reacted to the news on the ITV news show.
She said: “Really excited. I can’t stop the butterflies. I’m hoping I’ll be able to contain them on the floor.” Balvinder admitted she has dabbled in dancing before and is a particular fan of the Latin variety.
She said: “I love the Latin. They’re so excited and passionate dancers. We all love drama, don’t we?” She added: “It’s about telling a story with your body and you feet.
“It will be like learning a new language. I will still be working here. I’ll be doing two jobs. I don’t know how I’m going to handle it, but we’ll see.”
Balvinder also said appearing on the show is the perfect way to pay tribute to her late mum, Nirmal, who died last year. She said: “This is her dream actually. I think she would have been really proud. I’m holding mum’s legacy up”
Balvinder announced her mum’s death last year in a heartfelt tribute. She said: “27th February 2024, 11.30pm, mum passed peacefully, with dignity & grace, just as she’d lived her whole life.
“My sister & I had settled in for the night shift at the hospital. The lads had come, spent the day, & just as the last of them left… mum passed, with me & my sister holding her hands. We walked mum as far as we could. It’s been hard, but I’ve never known strength like mums. I’m proud to be her daughter.
“As we told people, the one thing constant in people’s memory was Mums huge warm smile, her ability to adapt to change & show love & respect to all. Our home was always open; a shelter from the rain whilst waiting for the bus. For pronthey & chaa. For all the children to come & chill after school. There was always food. Our home was busy, warm, & full of love because of mum.”Mum would come to live out her dream; she wanted to marry a man who lived abroad. Dad had moved to England in 1974. He’d enquired about mum 9 years previous. When I asked mum if she’d waited for dad, she replied, “No, but I had always hoped he hadn’t married anyone else.” Some things are just meant to be.
“Mum had two degrees; BA & MA in Fine Arts. However, she worked from home, doing piecework on a brother machine that still sits by the back window, whilst raising a family of 4.
“Later, she learned to drive so she could usher us to & from school/work/mates houses. Once we’d all grown up, mum decided she’d put her impeccable sewing skills to use by working for Rayner & Sturgess; a bespoke shirt factory, one of its kind.
“They made shirts for Ray Winston, some of the Royals, & Daniel Craig. The workforce, all women would still only be paid a minimum wage. But it gave mum deep friendships & confidence to be her own woman. A confidence she passed on to us.”A fierce supporter of all of her kids & grandkids mums unique ability to get through to us was second to none. She was our rock, friend, confidant, guiding light. She was my No. 1 fan travelling up & down the country, with dad watching shows.
“Mum was an extraordinary teacher of life just by being & doing everything with love. LOVE is Mum’s legacy. We are the lucky ones. Rest well. Thank U, Mum Nirmal Sopal 13/07/51 – 27/02/24.”