Nina Wadia "would go back" to 'EastEnders.'
Nina Wadia is open to the idea of returning to EastEnders
The 53-year-old actress starred as Zainab Masood on the BBC One soap opera from 2007 until 2013 and explained that even though it is almost a decade since she left, she still gets recognised for the role and would return because the programme is "very dear" to her.
She said: "I still get recognised. That hasn't gone away. I left nearly a decade ago but when people meet me they say 'Would you go back?' I would go back, of course. I had so much fun. I would never say never, because you do not know where the next job is coming from. 'EastEnders' is very dear to me and I made so many friends there."
However, the former 'Strictly Come Dancing' star - who has been married to composer Raiomond Mirza since 1998 and has children Tia, 18, and 15-year-old Aidan with him - went on to explain that her time on 'EastEnders' eventually got "too much" for her because of how much time she spent away from her family.
She told Metro newspaper's SixtySeconds column: "It got too much for me. I wanted to do something different and freshen up again. It was a combination of that and making sure I spent a bit more time with my kids, because it's a hard job to do as a parent - you spend a lot of time away from your family. My son was around seven and my daughter had just started her teenage years and I think they need you more when they get to that age. When they're very little you can get a nanny or they can go to nursery but when they're older, they start wanting you."
Away from the soap, the 'Outlaws' actress has also served as a panelist on the ITV lunchtime chat show 'Loose Women' on a sporadic basis between 2005 and 2016 and would be "open" to a comeback but believes it would be a "very different experience" because of how much more honest she is these days.
She added: "I haven't done it in years but I'm open to it and I think if I did it again it would be a very different experience. When I was younger, I felt reserved about what I could or couldn't say but I'm at that age now where I don't really care. I'm a bit more honest and a bit blunder!"
Tagged in Nina Wadia