Nadia Sawalha quit EastEnders after 'rubbish' storylines but was 'broke' before

27 May 2023 , 16:18

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Nadia Sawalha quit EastEnders after 'rubbish' storylines but was 'broke' before

Loose Women favourite Nadia Sawalha has revealed that she ultimately left EastEnders because she was continuously given 'rubbish' storylines.

The TV star, 58, appeared on the BBC One soap for two years from 1997 until 1999 while playing the role of Annie Palmer.

During her time on Albert Square, Nadia found herself involved in some of the soap's major storylines which at the time, were deemed highly dramatic and even controversial at times.

Given the velocity of some of her storylines, looking back, Nadia has began to see just how 'weird' they really were.

Her character, Annie, was known for running a number of illegal schemes in the square alongside her crook father George, who was played by Paul Moriarty.

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Annie Palmer played by actress Nadia Sawalha in Eastenders (BBC)

Paul Moriarty played Nadia's character's father on EastEnders (BBC)

Nadia's character then started a loan shark business alongside the notorious Phil Mitchell, but things turned sour for the Albert Square businesswoman when she found herself involved with a rival business gang.

Annie was almost beaten to death and afterwards, she left for New Zealand to live with her father.

Nadia's time on the BBC One soap came to an end in 1999, and almost 25 years on from her EastEnders reign, the Loose Women star has hit out at some of the controversial storylines given to her troubled character.

"I remember me and Adam Woodyatt wondering how we were going to cope if we had to do one more week of our rubbish storyline. Because at one point my storyline went a bit weird when I was working for the council with the rubbish," Nadia recalled.

Nadia has gone on to become a favourite Loose Women panellist (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Despite her 'rubbish' storyline, Nadia was over the moon when she first bagged the part of Annie because she was struggling with finances at the time.

"When I got the part I could not believe it. I was so happy. I was so broke," she told Daily Star.

"I remember thinking there wasn't going to be a Christmas that year, that's how broke I was. I was literally thinking about pennies on the street and so it was totally extraordinary."

Since her EastEnders days, Nadia has gone on to become a favourite Loose Women panellist as she continues to share her honest yet sometimes controversial views on current societal issues and celebrity gossip.

Susan Knox