EastEnders star Davood Ghadami has reportedly left his wife and is now in a relationship with his pantomime co-star Melanie Barker after starring alongside her in a production of Aladdin.
The actor, 42, appeared on the BBC soap as Kush Kazemi for seven years from 2014 until 2021, when his character was killed off in a gruesome underground train incident.
Ghadami met Barker, 32, who was cast as Princess Jasmine, while playing the villainous sorcerer Abanazar in the 2022/2023 Waterside Theatre production of the 1992 Disney classic.
The soap star reportedly had “sizzling chemistry” with Barker during the production and the pair stayed in touch after the show’s run ended, per The Sun.
“They are two very attractive people and it was clear they had sizzling on-stage chemistry together,” a source told the newspaper.
“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,” they said.
The insider added that Ghadami and Barker’s romance is the “perfect fairytale ending” to the situation – aside from the pair’s former partners “left in their wake”.
However, Barker told The Independent she and Ghadami began dating in 2024 after they had both already ended their previous relationships.
The singer explained that she filed for divorce in June 2023 but the process is yet to be finalised.
Meanwhile, Ghadami left his marriage in October 2023.
“Yes, myself and Davood are very happily together. No, we didn’t leave our partners for each other,” she said. “We’re just so happy. He’s a wonderful man.”
Barker continued: “Davood has a good co-parenting relationship with his ex-wife. He has a very healthy relationship with her…And I’m so lucky to have a new life with Davood.”
The Independent has contacted Ghadami’s representatives for comment.
When the Ghadami appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, he was forced to dismiss claims he succumbed to the Strictly curse with his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova.
“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 at the time.
“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.”
