Wife & times of Walford’s hunk
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EASTENDERS fans last night said goodbye to Kush Kazemi, with actor Davood Ghadami bidding farewell to Walford.
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Marking his exit, AILBHE MACMAHON has taken a look at everything you need to know about the star, who is joining the cast of Holby City to play a surgeon.
GORGEOUS WIFE
Relationships were central to Kush’s time in the Square, splitting with Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) only to propose to Whitney Dean (Shona Mcgarty).
Davood’s home life is a lot more peaceful, with he and wife Isobel celebrating their 11th anniversary this August.
Davood, 38, said of their wedding: “Getting married capped an amazing year for me – even though trying to fit the wedding in amongst work was a nightmare.”
The sweethearts live in Essex with their young daughters, Eva and Grace.
Davood reckons his wife loved his saucy routines on Strictly, above left. He said: “She loved it. She was really nervous before. She was nervous for me.”
FITNESS DRIVE
Davood is devoted to his fitness regime.
Pre-pandemic, he was an advocate for Crossfit high-intensity interval training.
When the lockdown forced gyms to close, he transformed his back garden into an exercise haven.
Chuffed with his results last summer, the actor shared a topless snap saying: “When training pays off. Muscle up time !!!! #Crossfit @crossfit.424 #muscleup.”
EARLY CAREER
Davood got his big break in 2005 with a small role as Mero Hashid in Casualty. Roles in Dream Team, Doctors and The Bill followed.
His breakout success came when he bagged the role of pathologist Duncan Clark on Taggart. Four years later, BBC bosses picked him to play Kush on Eastenders.
CHILDHOOD HEARTACHE
Growing up in Harlow, Essex, Davood moved schools after being bullied over his British-iranian roots – an ordeal that inspired his career. In 2017, Davood said he had been a “shy” child who struggled to get help over the name-calling. He said: “At the time there were fewer people of mixed backgrounds in schools. There were times I didn’t want to go to school. “I started somewhere new and was much more accepting.” Davood turned to acting as an outlet for his emotions and to build up his confidence.
ALBERT SQUARE EXIT
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Eastenders fans were shaken last September when they learned Kush was to be written out of the soap.
Kate Oates, head of continuing drama at the BBC, said they would miss Davood “hugely” on set.
And co-star Shona said about filming his final scenes: “We are very close and he’s been on the Square for a long time so we’re all really good friends. It was a sad day.”