Balvinder Sopal has described competing on Strictly Come Dancing as a “lifelong dream” – but who is the actress gracing the ballroom this year?

The soap star is partnered with Strictly newbie Julian Caillon and they have already performed an energetic Samba together, earning them a respectable Week 1 score of 17.

But how much do you know about Balvinder Sopal? Here, we do a deep dive into the EastEnders actress’ life, including how she broke into the industry, where she lives, her age and if she is married.

Who is Balviner Sopal? How old is she?

Balvinder Sopal was born in Chatham, Kent, on December 4, 1978. This makes her 46 years old. Balvinder is the eldest of four children. They all squeezed into a three-bedroom terrace house as kids and Balvinder loved nothing more than playing with her siblings and cousins.

From a young age, she developed an interest in music and drama. Balvinder previously admitted she would “play dress up” and act out scenes from Indian films she would watch with her family.

Balvinder told Grazia: “Even from a young age, I just loved stepping into someone else’s shoes. We would pretend to be teachers or shopkeepers, and we even used to play Neighbours at home.” She added: “We’d spend hours entertaining ourselves, having little tea parties in each room.”

While at school, and on the advice of her parents, Balvinder enrolled in a business course. But she knew where her heart was. Balvinder later studied a joint theatre studies and media studies degree at the University of Huddersfield.

Early career

Balvinder made her professional acting debut in the theatre. In 2001, she landed the role Bhelua in The Beautiful Violin at Oldham Coliseum Theatre in Greater Manchester. She went on to star in multiple plays, including Absent Friends, Tales of the Harrow and Relatively Speaking.

Balvinder’s first TV appearance came in 2002. She appeared in the BBC series Kidhaar! as Reena. For the next six years, she starred in the radio soap, Silver Street. It aired on the BBC Asian Network and followed the lives of an asian community living in an English town.

Sticking with soaps, Balvinder later landed several small roles in ITV‘s Emmerdale. From 2009 to 2018, the actress played a solicitor and two different police officers. Clearly impressing ITV bosses, she was also cast as a police officer twice in Coronation Street.

Balvinder has also appeared briefly in BBC One‘s Waterloo Road, Call the Midwife and Doctors. She was also cast in Channel 4‘s Hollyoaks for four episodes in 2018.

Who does Balvinder Sopal play in EastEnders?

Balvinder became a household name in 2020 after landing a main role in BBC One soap, EastEnders. She was cast as Suki Panesar and still portrays the character today. Over the years, the formidable matriarch of the Panesar family has been involved in multiple big and gripping storylines.

Viewers initially thought of Suki as a villain. This was not helped by her lying to her children about having cancer. But over the years, they have warmed to her. Suki has been the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband Nish and dealt with her son, Jags, dying in prison. Suki has also come out as lesbian and married solicitor, Eve Unwin, in August this year.

Balvinder’s character was also part of the infamous Six storyline. The storyline played out throughout 2023, climaxing with the death of Keanu Taylor at Christmas. Suki was seen standing over the body, alongside Denise Fox, Linda Carter, Kathy Beale, Sharon Watts and Stacey Slater. The Six all helped cover up the crime to protect the killer, who was later revealed as Linda Carter. 

Where does Balvinder Sopal live?

Balvinder lives in Medway, Kent, which close to where she grew up. In a social media post, the actress previously gushed about how much she adores her home town. Balvinder wrote: “I love where I come from. It’s taken me a while to really appreciate how creatively diverse Medway and surrounding areas in Kent are.

“Sure, some places aren’t as beautiful, affluent, or full of rows of quaint little coffee shops, but it is full of heart, and it’s where I grew up. It’s where I come from.”

Balvinder has also said she loves nothing more than, after a busy day on the EastEnders set, going home and curling up with a good book. She also enjoys reading in her local coffee shops.

Who is Balvinder Sopal married to?

Balvinder Sopal has never spoken publicly about her romantic life. It is believed she isn’t married and doesn’t have any children.

Balvinder on Strictly 2025

Balvinder has described Strictly Come Dancing as a “lifelong” dream of hers. She has always been a fan of the show and couldn’t wait to get cracking in rehearsals for this year’s series.

Speaking ahead of her first live show, Balvinder said: “It’s been a lifelong dream from the moment I saw the show 21 years ago. I just love the idea of learning to dance. The music, the dances and the show inspired a generation of wannabe Ballroom dancers.”

Balvinder also has her hopes pinned on performing a particular dance with her pro partner, new man to the team, Julian Caillon. She added: “The Argentine Tango both excites me and fills me with fear. The leg kicks, the drama, passion, the music! I ADORE the sound of the violin.

“I really wanted to learn to play the violin, as I find it to be such a heart-achingly beautiful sound and the Argentine Tango encapsulates
that ache. It is a stunning dance to watch.”

Read more: Strictly Come Dancing 2025: The change to Shirley Ballas’ Results show ‘deciding vote’ explained

Strictly Come Dancing continues at 6.20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday October 4, 2025.