KNIFE CRIME AGONY FOR ENDERS STARS

Real life hell on show STREET FIGHTERS

EASTENDERS actress Bonnie Langford hopes a special episode of the show will help the “lost” victims of knife crime.

In a TV first, the BBC soap will tomorrow include real-life families whose lives have been blighted by stabbings.

Grieving mum Carmel Kazemi, played by Bonnie, and the residents of Walford will attend the funeral of her teenage son Shakil (Shaheen Jafargholi) who was stabbed to death last month.

And the show will cut to real families who will tell how they have had to cope after losing someone.

Bonnie admits filming the harrowing story was “one of the toughest things” she has ever done.

She said: “It’s showing the reality of it. We were very privileged to meet this group of people who have brought their stories to the show.”

Her co-star Davood Ghadami, who plays her other son Kush, said the show will highlight how knife crime “affects family, friends, the community”.

Among the contributors tomorrow will be George Kinsella, the father of Ben Kinsella who was stabbed to death aged just 16 in London in 2008.

His half sister is ex-EastEnders

CORRIE stars are begging the soap’s new boss to make the plots even darker and more violent despite complaints from angry viewers.

Recent storylines have included suicide and a sex grooming shocker.

But cast members including Mikey North and Lucy Fallon do not want new boss Iain MacLeod to soften up the gritty stories.

They are also pushing for

GRIEVING: Davood and Bonnie actress Brooke, who has since campaigned to tackle knife crime.

George said: “Ben was stabbed about 11 times in eight seconds.

“We have all got to live with this now, it’s never the same again.”

And Caroline Shearer, whose son Jay was stabbed in 2012, said: “People say time heals.

“No, this is something you take with you to the grave.”

The special episode is on BBC One tomorrow at 9.15pm.

The Star Says: Page 6 post-watershed shows. Mikey, 31, who plays Gary Windass, said: “I love the show doing fight scenes, it’s my favourite thing about being on the soap.

“We all like doing all that stuff. We will make sure it carries on.”

Lucy, 22, stars as troubled teen Bethany Platt. She said: “I quite like all the dark and emotional stuff.

“It should stay like that. We would like some late-night episodes too.”