Nina Wadia

Nina Wadia was born on December 18, 1968, in Bombay, India, to Parsi ancestry parents. She spent her early childhood in Mumbai before moving to Hong Kong at the age of nine, where she attended Island School. Her career began in the early 1990s, with her first notable role as a nurse named Viv in three episodes of the BBC soap opera “EastEnders” in 1994. Wadia gained significant public recognition for her work on the BBC sketch show “Goodness Gracious Me,” which aired from 1998 to 2000 and again for a special in 2014-2015. On the show, she played various characters, including Mrs. “I can make it at home for nothing!” and one half of “The Competitive Mothers.”

In 2007, Wadia secured the role of Zainab Masood in “EastEnders,” a character she portrayed for six years until her departure in 2013, appearing in 463 episodes. Her performance as Zainab earned her the Best Comedy Performance award at the 2009 British Soap Awards, as well as Best On-Screen Partnership with Nitin Ganatra at the same ceremony. Beyond television, Wadia has a diverse filmography, including a role as a wedding caterer in the comedy film “Bend It Like Beckham” (2002) and a part in the Hindi romantic comedy “Namastey London” (2007). She also voiced the title role in the children’s animated series “Ethelbert the Tiger.”

Her career continued to expand with regular roles in series such as “Still Open All Hours” (2013-2018) as Mrs. Hussein, and guest appearances in “Holby City” (2015) and “Death in Paradise” (2020). In 2019, she played the minor role of Zulla in Guy Ritchie’s live-action remake of “Aladdin.” More recently, Wadia participated in the nineteenth series of “Strictly Come Dancing” in 2021 and took on the role of Binita Prabhu in “Doctors” in 2023. Her contributions to entertainment and charity were recognized when she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours.