Khali Best
Khali Best has praised Steve McFadden because the star took him under his wing when he joined the cast of Eastenders.
The 'EastEnders' actor won Best Newcomer for his role as Dexter Hartman at the National Television Awards last night (22.01.14) and he has revealed soap veteran Steve, who plays hard man Phil Mitchell, gave him some sage advice when he started.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz backstage at the NTAs - which took place at London's The O2 arena - he said: "Steve was just like, '"EastEnders" is a beast but you have to learn to work with it. It's like a machine and you're one of the cogs, so as long as you're in it and you keep your head down, and you keep passionate about the work, you've got nothing to worry about.' "
Other stars who helped Khali find his feet include Ann Mitchell, who plays his grandmother Cora Cross, and Max Branning actor Jake Wood.
He added: "Ann Mitchell's a very, very good life mentor; she'll sit down and talk to you just about life. Also, Jake Wood, Scott Maslen (Jack Branning) when he was there ... all of them. All of the cast members are beautiful to be around."
Khali tried not to think too much about his nomination before the ceremony, and admits his victory has "overwhelmed" him.
He added: "I wasn't thinking about it. I was just concentrating on the work because I didn't want to stress myself out about it, but it worked out in the end."
Tagged in Steve McFadden Scott Maslen Jake Wood