Former EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra has opened up about suffering from depression and how he has tackled it.
The actor, who played Masood Ahmed on the BBC soap between 2007 and 2019, shared how the COVID-19 lockdown proved tough for his mental health, admitting it hit him “like a slap in the face”.
The star explained that the period triggered childhood trauma of experiencing racism and bullying, recalling that he “would draw and paint relentlessly as a coping strategy” as a child.
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He employed the same strategy during lockdown, telling BBC Radio London: “It was an outpouring of work and stories and paintings and feelings and emotions. I would do a painting, finish it, put it in a box.
“But then I posted one on social media, and another and the reaction started to grow,” Ganatra added. “And then suddenly it became a reality that I could possibly start being the person that I wanted to be.
“Going back to painting was like falling in love with the younger me again.”
The actor also explained that he had always had dreams of painting, though had his hopes soured as a teenager when an art dealer saw his portfolio while he was on the way to a university interview.
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“He said ‘you’re never going to make it‘,” he recalled. “It broke me, so I decided to become an actor instead.”
During the interview, Ganatra also addressed a potential return to EastEnders, admitting: “I get asked this every day, but as far as I know, but not as far as I know.
“I haven’t had that phone call yet. But – never say never. I’ll take my canvas with me.”
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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