Time to SHINE

EastEnders fave BALVINDER SOPAL on the first live show, dance-floor ambitions, and why Suki would love Strictly

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Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire is set to be sparkling with sequins this Saturday as 15 celebrities take to the floor to perform their debut routines with their professional partners when Strictly Come Dancing 2025's live shows begin.

But EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal, who plays spirited Walford matriarch Suki Panesar-Unwin, is more apprehensive than most about tripping the light fantastic as she and her mentor, new pro signing Julian Caillon, are starting their journey with the notoriously tricky samba...

'It's so difficult!' laughs the actor, 46, as she joins TV Times for an exclusive chat during a break in rehearsals. 'It's fast and it's sexy but, in a way, perhaps it's good to get it out of the way in the first week. I just hope I can remember all the steps...'

Here, Balvinder tells us why being part of BBC1's sequinned spectacular really is a dream come true...

Are you thrilled to be part of the class of Series 23?