Eastenders General News Thread

[alan45]

FORMER EastEnders babe Michelle Ryan is set to bare all as a stripper in a new flick - and she's taking pole dancing lessons to prepare for it.
The busty brunette, who is most well known for playing troubled Zoe Slater in the BBC1 soap, said it's "great fun" honing her moves for the racy role in new movie A Girl Walks into a Bar.

Michelle, 25, explained: "I play a stripper and had to go to a pole-dancing class in LA to prepare.

"I have so much respect for the dancers. It is hard work."

But the Bionic Woman star did admit she ended up covered in bruises as she attempted the trickier routines.

We're sure it will be worth the hard graft...



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz0ji12mWgC

[alan45]

Aston Merrygold has reportedly reignited his romance with former EastEnders star Louisa Lytton.

The pair appeared close as they sat together in a corner of London's Mayfair Club on Friday night, according to The Daily Star Sunday.

A source said: "Aston and Louisa arrived together at 1am. Aston got a table covered in vodka bottles and invited people to join them.

"But while most of their friends danced Aston and Louisa spent the night cosying up in the corner of the club."

The 22-year-old JLS star dated Lytton before rising to fame on The X Factor.

[alan45]

Former Emmerdale star Hayley Tamaddon has revealed that she would love to land a role on EastEnders.

The Dancing On Ice champion explained that she dreams of being introduced to the Walford soap as a new love interest for Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick).

Speaking to the Daily Star, Tamaddon commented: "I think EastEnders needs a few more Northerners.

"I'd like the part of Billy Mitchell's girlfriend. It's about time he got another one and I love snogging scenes."

Tamaddon quit her role as Emmerdale's Delilah Dingle in 2007 after two years in the part. She is currently busy working on the Dancing On Ice live tour.

[alan45]

EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra has revealed that he was thrilled to explore Masood Ahmed's "darker" side in his latest Walford storyline.

Next week, the actor's character receives a huge shock when he spots son Syed (Marc Elliott) in a passionate embrace with Christian Clarke (John Partridge).

After spending time wondering what his next move should be, Masood tries to warn the secret lovers to keep their distance from each other without explicitly revealing what he knows.

Speaking to DS about the plot, Ganatra explained: "All along, Masood's saying predatory things to Syed and Christian, teasing them about knowing. So in a very subtle way, he lets them both know that he's aware of what's going on and they'd better stop."

He continued: "It's a lovely thing to play. The New Year episodes with Nina [Wadia], Johnny and Marc were so good and so explosive, I was thinking, 'How do you top that?'

"What I love about Masood, though, is that he's a very flexible person. You'll get a different response from him in almost every situation. He's not predicable. He has his lighter moments and then his darker moments. It gives a lot of colour to play with."

Following Masood's surprise discovery, it is not long until the rest of Syed's family learns the truth about his sexuality in much-anticipated reveal scenes.

[alan45]

An EastEnders storyline helped to convict a paedophile in Devon, it has been reported.

Frederick Hanmer, 55, was found guilty of four counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday.

His victim, who is now in her 20s, contacted police after watching an EastEnders storyline about a paedophile. Hanmer, of Ashburton, Devon, first abused the girl when she was seven, jurors heard.

According to the BBC, the victim remained silent for more than a decade before being given the confidence to speak out by the BBC soap's storyline.

"It has lifted a lot off me. I'm relieved, which has made me happier. Before I spoke out, I was very angry and bit off people's heads for practically no reason," she said.

Speaking after the case, Detective Sgt. Neil Ralph, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "The victim saw the episode of EastEnders and it was like what had happened to her. It gave her the impetus to come forward."

[alan45]

EastEnders star Nina Wadia has revealed that she would love Ramon Tikaram to land another Walford stint.

Although viewers have not yet seen the last of Tikaram's character Qadim Shah, the actor has already filmed his final scenes with the BBC drama.

In an interview with Inside Soap, Wadia named Qadim as the perfect new love interest for her character Zainab Masood should the battleaxe's marriage to Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) fall apart in the future.

With Masood now fully aware of his son Syed's (Marc Elliott) sexuality, his relationship with Zainab could hit rocky ground if he ever discovers that she knew the truth months ago.

Wadia explained: "Masood might well turn his back on her for good if he discovers Zainab has lied to him. There's a genuine love between those two characters, so it would be a great pity if they were to lose that."

Laughing, she continued: "I think it would be perfect if Qadim came back to Walford and had an affair with Zainab. When Ramon Tikaram comes in, all the girls swoon over him because he's so gorgeous.

[Perdita]

EastEnders star Rita Simons has admitted that her husband cannot bear to watch any of her romantic scenes.

The 33-year-old actress, who plays landlady Roxy Mitchell in the serial, revealed that hairdresser Theo Silverston is jealous of her alter ego's on-screen relationships.

She told Bang Showbiz: "My husband absolutely hates it if I'm kissing other men. In fact, he turns away and goes, 'La la la la la!'

"I always try to make him watch, but he won't even discuss it. He'd also like to think I was a virgin until we met."

Simons added: "The biggest misconception about Roxy is that she's a slag. Please tell me who I've kissed in the show, who's still here? Jack? Oh yeah. He isn't the best kisser though - that would be Dr Al, Adam Croasdell."

[Perdita]

Lily Allen has admitted that she occasionally cries over storylines in EastEnders.

The 24-year-old singer claimed that she often becomes emotional about aspects of life she has "no control over".

She told The Times: "My songs are definitely a way of communicating feelings but not about things I feel very emotional about.

"I get upset about really stupid things, about EastEnders. I cry about things I have no control over, like the way I look or how much weight I’ve put on. I rarely cry about relationships with other people."

[alan45]

Former EastEnders star Tracy-Ann Oberman has claimed that the soap world is similar to what life was like on "old-style" Hollywood movie sets.

The actress admitted that she often used to draw comparisons to classic films when shooting scenes as Walford's Chrissie Watts, who is best remembered for murdering husband Dirty Den (Leslie Grantham) in the programme's 20th anniversary instalment.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph about serial drama, Oberman explained: "The way the system works is that you're stuck in this studio a long way from anywhere, and you're living, eating and breathing the job.

"You're being driven around on the studio buggy and you're working with the same people. There really is something quite old-style Hollywood studio about it. It kept making me think about what it must have been like to be living on the lot at MGM, waiting to see what your next script was going to be."

She continued: "The way soaps are written is often quite melodramatic - particularly with the storylines I had. They were very theatrical, and there's something quite film noir-ish about murdering your husband. I often used to think, 'Wow - how would Bette Davis approach this?'"

Oberman is currently promoting her new one-off Radio 4 play, which tells the story of the resentment which allegedly grew between Davis and Joan Crawford when they filmed their 1962 horror movie Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?.

[Perdita]

Ricky Groves has admitted that he has finally come to terms with his split from wife Hannah Waterman.

The former EastEnders stars, who played Walford's Garry Hobbs and Laura Beale, announced their break-up in January after three years of marriage.

Speaking in a new interview with Hello magazine, Groves confessed that he now understands why Waterman chose to end their relationship.

The 42-year-old explained: "It pains me to say it but at the time it was a real jolt, the worst thing that had ever happened to me. But I've had time to think about it and, as sad as it is, maybe our relationship had become routine and we had grown apart.

"I think I'd just been putting things off, telling myself it would be all right, but then it got to the stage where it wasn't all right anymore."

Groves added that he is back on good terms with Waterman and believes they will "always remain friends".