EASTENDERS actress Priya Davdra has teased a return for her character Iqra Ahmed.
The actress made her arrival on the Square in December 2018, and caused a stir as the first Muslim lesbian on the soap.
Just three years later, BBC viewers were shocked when the character announced her exit, but Priya has now insisted: “I’m not dead! There’s always scope to come back”.
Speaking to The Sun about the ground breaking role, as she launches new campaign Gob For Good with blood cancer charity DKMS, Priya said: “It was amazing.
“I think Iqra was the first gay Muslim on the show, EastEnders has such a big platform.
“I think it was a very important storyline and it made a huge impact because sometimes things like this are a bit taboo to talk about but I feel like this opened up conversations and raised a lot more awareness.
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Priya, whose character dated Ash, continued: “Coming out as gay to a South Asian family, it’s not something that is talked about a lot, I think that storyline in its self is quite fragile , you want to respect everything and everyone, but you also want to tell the truth because it’s something that does happen. It’s about being mindful.”
Iqra made the decision to leave the square in 2022 to take up a job opportunity elsewhere.
“I had been on the show for about three years and for me, it was time to take on a variety of different roles and I wanted to do different things. For me personally it was the right time to go,” Priya explained.
“Being on a soap is great, you learn a lot but for me I wanted to experience different things.”
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Asked if a comeback is on the cards, she teased: “They haven’t killed Iqra off, there’s still scope to come back.
“You never know with EastEnders . Never say never, you never know.”
Priya will next be seen on ITV show Count Abdulla and is busy working alongside blood cancer charity DKMS to highlight how blood cancer patients from Black, Asian or minority ethnicity groups face lower survival odds due to the lack of donor diversity.
Discussing her involvement, Priya explained: “I found out more information about how severe this disease is and how easily it can be prevented.
“I found out that one of my friends, her father passed away from not finding a match, due to blood cancer.
“I also found out that one of my aunts suffers from a rare blood disorder as well. I never realised how close to home everything was and this disease is everywhere and I never knew about it.
“It was important for me to raise more awareness about it, especially in the south Asian community.”
Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer and the register of blood stem cell donors – who are needed to save thousands of patients’ lives – does not currently meet the demand
Taking the first steps to register as a potential blood stem cell donor for DKMS can be done within a few minutes from the comfort of your own home. If you are aged between 17-55 and in general good health you can sign up online for a home swab kit by registering online at gobforgood.com.
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