Racist bullies drove me out of school.. but now I’ve been voted sexiest male in soaps
STRICTLY STAR ON WHAT DROVE HIM TO SUCCEED
IT’S no surprise the judges have difficulty keeping their eyes on technique when actor Davood Ghadami and Strictly’s sexiest pro-dancer yet, Nadiya Bychkova, take to the ballroom floor.
The Ukranian former Playboy model’s stunning looks have propelled the Strictly curse rumour mill into meltdown with gasps at the pair’s sizzling chemistry.
But brooding EastEnders’ star Davood is definitely playing his part, too.
This week he scooped Sexiest Male at the Inside Soap Awards, and you don’t have to look much further than a certain naked charity photo involving a carefully placed pumpkin to understand why.
But Davood laughs when I bring up his official hunk status.
He said: “It’s a strange one. I don’t really know how to respond.”
“I’m not an extrovert but you have to dig deep and find that part of you. I was a very shy child.”
Like so many actors, he said theatre helped him shake the shyness.
But for schoolboy Davood, he said there was also perhaps a deeper reason than most for his introvert nature.
Growing up of mixed race in Harlow, Essex, his father Iranian, his mother British, he found himself bullied in secondary school.
It got so bad in his early teens, Davood, now 35, was even forced to change schools.
He said: “At the time, there were fewer people of mixed backgrounds in schools. I wasn’t involved in anything physical, but namecalling can be harder hitting and it can have a knock-on effect when you’re young.
“There were times it got too much, I didn’t want to go to school any more, I didn’t want to be involved with certain people.”
Davood decided there was no way he could deal with the daily abuse.
He said: “It made me want to leave the school I was at and start again. And that’s what I did.
“I started somewhere new and it was much more accepting. But I hope now it’s being dealt with in a far better way than when I was younger.”
He then tried his hand at acting and it helped restore his shattered confidence.
Davood said: “I didn’t have the confidence or the ability to speak openly about emotions and feelings. Acting was an outlet, to play a different role. If you’d have told me then I’d be doing what I’m doing now, I would have called you a liar.”
Now a household name who found widespread fame when he joined EastEnders in 2014 as Kush Kazemi, he can see he learnt from the bad times.
Davood said: “It made me a little bit stronger. Maybe it led me to where I am now, in part. Maybe, in one way, I should be grateful.”
Of all the Strictly contestants this year, he probably more than any other has needed a good coat of thick skin – especially with his clothes off.
As soon as his pairing with Nadiya, 28, was announced, the couple’s good looks propelled them to the top of the Strictly curse tittle-tattle queue.
Davood has been married to wife Isobel since 2010, and they have two little girls, Eva, five, and Grace, two – while Nadiya also has a child and is in a relationship with Slovenian football star Matija Skarabot.
Yet their chemistry in the ballroom has been remarkable – and constantly commented on by the judges, especially an over-excited Bruno Tonioli who remarked after their sexy samba, they were on a “race to the bedroom”.
Davood patiently fields questions of any real-life attraction between he and Nadiya.
He said: “People will say things. As long as you know the truth and the people you love know the truth, it shouldn’t have an effect and shouldn’t matter.”
He and Isobel met at university in 2001, and he says their marriage couldn’t be stronger. Isobel has not been upset by the chatter.
Davood said: “My wife is very headstrong and resilient. And she’s too busy – she’s looking after two kids.
“She just wants me to enjoy the process. She is my reason for getting this far and doing this job and to feel comfortable going on.
“She is the rock, the steadiness in my life. I’m incredibly lucky. She is so supportive.”
And there’s clearly no chance of an ego while she’s around.
When he lifted the Sexiest Male title earlier this week, she laughed hysterically.
He said: “She thought it was hilarious. You know when you know each
other so well, she thought it was very sweet – but then we moved on to talk about the kids, and make dinner, and watch telly.” And when she found out he would be spending nearly every day of the week up close with a former Playboy model? He deflects that one. But he does insist he didn’t even realise himself until after training began. Davood said: “When I did realise, I was more interested in the fact she is two-times world ballroom champion. “I’ve been topless on telly, and holding a pumpkin in front of myself. It doesn’t dictate your personality or lifestyle or how you are as a person.” So he and Nadiya found commonality in their nudity, then? He said: “It’s just a business choice.” They certainly know how to play to their strengths. But after the previous judges’ comments, Davood is relieved tonight’s Charleston couldn’t be further from sexy. He said: “People will talk because it’s such a big show but we have shown that there is more to our partnership than just that side of things. Charleston is the opposite to sexy, it’s almost slapstick entertainment.
“I want people to see it looks good because of how we are performing rather than how we look.”
Being on top form is even more important following the shock exit of bookies’ favourite Aston Merrigold last weekend.
Davood said: “People were upset. It was a surprise to see him there, and Mollie there.
“We all know how good Aston is, and I’m privileged to know how much of a lovely man he is, so talented and humble.”
Davood is equally gushing about Debbie McGee, who got a staggering four 10s last weekend.
He said” “It is well deserved, she works really hard, she has a brilliant partner in Gio. She is wonderful to watch. The standard is incredible.”
And his pals on EastEnders are proud to see him doing well.
Former contestant Kellie Bright has been offering tips, and Tameka Empson, who received her own shock exit from the show last year, has also been supportive.
She doesn’t dance with you on set, then?
Davood laughs. “We usually just sit around in The Vic having a chat between scenes. It’s a good chance to sit down for a minute.”
Sitting around, for a Strictly contestant, must be pure heaven.