EastEnders star Davood Ghadami is reported to have left his wife for his married pantomime co-star, DailyMail reports.
The actor, Davood Ghadami , famed for playing Kush Kazemi on the BBC soap, is said to have fallen for Melanie Barker, 32, who portrayed Princess Jasmine after meeting in a 2022/23 production of Aladdin.
Davood Ghadami, who played Abananzar in the show which finished in early 2023, is thought to have had ‘sizzling on-stage chemistry’ with the stunning singer.
According to The Sun, Davood Ghadami ‘flirted’ with the married mother-of-three and the two were thought to have stayed in touch after the production, held at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury, had ended.
The publication suggests that at some point, romance blossomed between the pair and they went on to leave their respective spouses and moved in together.
A source told the publication: ‘They are two very attractive people and it was clear they had sizzling on-stage chemistry together.
‘There was a lot of flirting backstage and I’m sure Aladdin wouldn’t have been happy that Princess Jasmine was giggling with Abanazar behind his back.
‘But the genie is now well and truly out of the bottle and they are a proper couple -living together, training together and posting photos on Instagram together.’
The insider added that the romance is almost like the ‘perfect fairytale ending’, with the exception of the partners ‘left in their wake’.
David married long-term love Isobel back in 2010, with the pair going on to welcome daughters Eve and Grace in 2012 and 2015 respectively.
Back in 2018, Davood Ghadami gushed over his wife and praised her for the support she gave when he appeared in the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing, in which he was paired with Nadiya Bychkova.
He told Woman magazine: ‘My wife and I know each other inside out and have a genuine understanding about how the other ticks. We met 17 years ago at university so we’ve got a lot of shared history.
‘I’m an incredibly lucky man. My life couldn’t be the way it is without her support. She was amazing when I was in Strictly and kept everything going.’
‘My wife and I know each other inside out and have a genuine understanding about how the other ticks. We met 17 years ago at university so we’ve got a lot of shared history.
‘I’m an incredibly lucky man. My life couldn’t be the way it is without her support. She was amazing when I was in Strictly and kept everything going.’
During his time on the dance show, like many stars, Davood was hit by Strictly curse rumours, of which he was quick to shut down.
He said at the time: ‘People will say things. As long as you know the truth and the people you love know the truth it shouldn’t matter. I guess I did learn that,” he said.
‘My wife watches Kush on the TV pretending to be married to or sleeping with another character. So she is used to dealing with this sort of situation in my professional life.
‘She is the rock, the steadiness in my life and she knows that. I’m incredibly lucky. She is so supportive.’
Meanwhile, Melanie is thought to still be legally married to husband Daniel Haslam.
The Sun reports that the wedding singer left the family home last year with the couple’s three young children, who are aged two, five and seven.
She is said to have moved her children to live with Davood in Essex.
Davood and Melanie appear to have gone Instagram official, sharing a video of themselves together on a romantic trip to York in December.
One snap even showed them standing in front of a neon sign which read: ‘Tell someone you love them this Christmas.’
The super fit couple also regularly work out together, with clips of the pair working up a sweat at Davood’s Crossfit gym.