Inside EastEnders Priya actress’ life from soap star parent to ‘mind-blowing’ real age
Sophie Khan's life away from EastEnders couldn't be more different from her on-screen Walford alter-ego's
EastEnders’ Sophie Khan Levy is a firm favourite playing Priya Nandra-Hart – but what do we know about her life?
Priya (Sophie Khan Levy) rocked up to Walford in 2023 with daughter Avani (Aaliyah James) as the ex-girlfriend and daughter of Ravi (Aaron Thiara). At the time, Ravi had no idea he had a secret daughter – leaving him and the rest of the Panesar family stunned.
Between the Panesar family drama and Priya’s own romance troubles, Priya and Avani’s time in the square has not been short of chaos. Especially at the moment, as Priya recently found out she was pregnant amid her affair with Max Branning (Jake Wood).
Sophie’s TV roles
Sophie isn’t just known for her work on EastEnders; she has graced numerous stages with the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared on television screens in several shows.
For Priya actress Sophie though, her life away from the soap couldn’t be more different from her on-screen Walford alter-ego’s…
In 2023, she played Gabrielle Ade in the harrowing true BBC drama, The Sixth Commandment. The gripping four-part British true-life crime drama explored the deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, and the events that unfolded afterward.
She also played Florence Pandhi in the veterinary drama All Creatures Great and Small in 2022 and Beth in James Corden’s Amazon Prime series Mammals.
Sophie’s famous mum
Sophie isn’t the only famous member in her family. Her mum is Shaheen Khan, who is best known for playing Mrs Bhamra in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham.
In the film, Mrs Bhamra champions tradition, assisting her eldest daughter, Pinky (Archie Panjabi), with preparations for her Indian wedding whilst simultaneously attempting to guide her younger daughter, Jess (Parminder Nagra), along the same route.
She was keener on playing football and achieving stardom like her hero, David Beckham, who appears in a cameo at the film’s conclusion.
Shaheen also played Kiran Joghill in BBC’s medical soap drama Casualty in the late ‘80s, and has starred in the likes of BBC’s Doctors and Doctor Who.
Sophie’s age-gap with on-screen daughter
Sophie’s on-screen daughter is Aaliyah James who plays Avani. But it is the two stars’ real-life age gap that previously left fans stunned.
Actress Sophie, who plays Priya, turned 37 this year, while Aaliyah is 26, giving the pair an 11-year-age-gap.
On a Reddit thread, users shared their shock with one person writing: “Isn’t the actress that plays Avani in her 20s.” Another added: “Bl**dy hell there really is only 11 years between Sophie and Aaliyah. I learn something new every day!”
Meanwhile, another questioned the show’s choices: “Nugget’s mum looks 20 and his sister looks 25…who does the casting here guys?”
