Navin Chowdry joined the BBC One soap in September 2022, with his evil character Nish Panesar involved in several dramatic storylines, including terrorising his ex-wife Suki

An EastEnders star is said to have quit the BBC One soap opera and could be killed off.

Navin Chowdry, 53, plays ex-con Nish Panesar, who has been terrorising his ex-wife Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) since he was released from prison in September 2022. His character was also one of the favourites to die in last year’s dramatic Christmas storyline, as it was teased he was one of the possible victims set to meet their maker by the hands of a mystery assailant in Albert Square.

However, he escaped death after being hit over the head with a bottle by Denise Fox, and it was Keanu Taylor who was killed off by Linda Carter in Queen Victoria pub. Despite his character evading death in one of the most hotly-anticipated soap Christmas storylines in years, Nish is reportedly going to be killed off by soap writers over the next few weeks.

According to The Sun, details of his exit have been kept under wraps, but Nish has recently been diagnosed with a heart condition and urgently needs a transplant. “It’s not known if Nish will be killed off, even though his health is suffering, but expect the exit to be very impactful and dramatic,” the source explained. “Navin has made quite the impact on the show in the two years he has been a part of it… he’ll be missed by cast, crew and viewers alike.”

The Mirror has approached the BBC for comment. Despite being diagnosed with a heart condition, Nish hasn’t let that stop his evil plotting, and he has been trying to break up his ex-wife Suki from her girlfriend Eve, as well as attempting to frame Vinny for money laundering.

Navin’s exit from the show comes as it was rumoured EastEnders legend Ross Kemp could be returning briefly to the soap to celebrate the show’s 40th anniversary next year. The TV presenter and actor is set to front a documentary that will explore the long-running soap’s history for the milestone anniversary in February, and it was reported that Ross could be reprising his role as Grant Mitchell for a brief stint.

When asked about his return to Albert Square during an interview on This Morning last week, he teased: “I can tell you nothing.” The TV star’s documentary about EastEnders will interview stars of the soap from past and present, and a source told The Sun that the show will “always have a special place in his heart and he’s really excited.”