EASTENDERS’ Balvinder Sopal has paid an emotional tribute to the soap for ‘giving her strength to carry on’ after a devastating loss.
Balvinder – who plays Suki Panesar – in the BBC show, revealed at the end of last month that her beloved mother Nirmal had passed away in February.
In a new Instagram post, Bal credited her EastEnders family both on and off-screen for helping her through such an emotional time.
Sharing a selfie with her hair all curled and hanging round her shoulders, the star gave a small smile to the camera.
She captioned it: “One foot in front of the other….Huge props to our make-up department @bbceastenders for holding me up, making me look presentable… and giving me the strength to carry on.
“Everyone at work has been simply stunning… supportive, holding me up, and allowing me to feel what I need to in order to then get up and get the job done.
“Some days, it’s too hard and a right off. Other days, I can just about make it through, I am held.
“One foot in front of the other…And I know mum walks alongside me – even when I feel alone.
“She is there whispering, “Putt, tu tah mere strong putt ah” (Putt, you are my strong child). And so, I carry on, for mum.”
She continued: “She loved EastEnders, was a huge fan, and would read every comment on Instagram, good & bad, reading them out to me. And then she would remind me how far I had come.
“One foot in front of the other…I am also grateful to each and every one of you who have reached out, shared your own grief, and sent love from near and far. Thank you. One foot in front of the other… is all we can do.”
Bal had shared a series of sweet family snaps with her mum when she announced her passing last month.
She wrote in the caption at the time: “27th February 2024, 11.30pm, mum passed peacefully, with dignity & grace, just as she’d lived her whole life.
“My sister & I had settled in for the night shift at the hospital. The lads had come, spent the day, & just as the last of them left… mum passed, with me & my sister holding her hands.
“We walked mum as far as we could. It’s been hard, but I’ve never known strength like mums. I’m proud to be her daughter.”
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THE beloved British soap has been captivating audiences for decades.
EastEnders follows the lives of the residents of Walford as they navigate love, loss, family drama, and community struggles.
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