- Balvinder Sopal has spoken to Metro about her transformative journey on Strictly Come Dancing, embracing new experiences
- She opened up about her meaningful Couple’s Choice routine, which honoured her Punjabi heritage
- Despite challenges and online criticism, the semi-finalist is focusing on her joy and connection with her partner, Julian Caillon
Balvinder Sopal has gone from being one of Britain’s much-loved soap stars, to one of the country’s most adored Strictly Come Dancing contestants.
It’s not been an easy ride for the EastEnders actor and her dancing partner Julian Caillon; they’ve been in the bottom two five times, but have been saved by the judges on each occasion – proving their place in the competition.
While some might let that loom over them as they approach the semi-final, this isn’t the case for Balvinder and Julian. The pair jokingly told Metro that this just means they’ve had more airtime.
‘We have danced more than any couple this series’, Balvinder, 47, said proudly.
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When promoting the show before it started, Balvinder claimed in a video for the BBC: ‘I just want to dance, and I want to try on the costumes.’ She’s definitely done plenty of both.
Putting on all of the sequins and feathers each Saturday has changed the way Balvinder views herself: ‘For the first time, I’ve seen myself in a different light,’ she shared.
‘You watch the dances back, and you go: “Oh my God. One, I look like that. And two, I dance like that – who is that person?”’
Balvinder continued: ‘For that reason, it’s such a brilliant place for women to be able to go: “Yeah, we can burst out onto the screen and look as sexy as that, as beautiful as that, and dance like that.”
‘What a feat, you know?’
After 11 weeks of Strictly, Balvinder and Julian have graced the ballroom with a whole range of different dances, but a couple have stood out to them.
In week seven, the pair performed their Couple’s Choice to Sapphire by Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh, paying homage to Balvinder’s Punjabi heritage with a fusion of Bhangra and Bollywood.
In the lead-up to the performance, the 47-year-old reflected on her relationship with her late mum and the advice she’d given – to try your best and keep being optimistic.
When asked how it felt to honour that part of her culture and her mum with the dance, Balvinder told us: ‘I am everything I am because of my parents and my upbringing.
‘We never shied away from who we were. It was really lovely to be able to represent that on a stage like Strictly, where communities and people from all backgrounds watch it.’
Who is in the semi-final of Strictly Come Dancing 2025?
In the semi-final this Saturday, the following couples will dance…
- Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin
- George Clarke and Alexis Warr
- Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon
- Karen Carney and Carlos Gu
The actor stressed how much it meant to her: ‘Sometimes I think that sort of stuff can be a little bit of an: “Oh, we’ll just shove it in for the sake of, you know, diversity or whatever.”
‘But it wasn’t, it was a proper celebration and representation of where I come from and an honour to my mum, because obviously she brought me into this world and she’s given me all the values and morals that I have.’
Being on Strictly isn’t just a physical challenge; it’s also a mental one that requires strength on all fronts.
Reflecting on this, Balvinder admitted that she never thought that Strictly would ‘be this hard’, including ‘all the rejection and possibly people not getting behind you’.
During this series, numerous contestants have referred to the abuse they’ve faced on social media while taking part in the show.
Amidst the attention and scrutiny, Balvinder has tried not to let it get to her: ‘I really have to remember that in amongst all of the hate that you get online, or the pressure that you put on yourself to be the best, it doesn’t matter,’ she stated.
‘What matters is the connection that I have with Jules, the fact that I’m taking on what he’s saying, and I’m having an amazing time on that floor.’
On whom Balvinder would like to see in the ballroom next year, she put her castmate’s name in the hat.
‘Di Parish might want to’, Balvinder pondered, referring to her EastEnders co-star who plays Denise in the BBC soap.
‘I did have a small chat with her, and she was like: “Well, I’ve never been asked.” I’m like: “Well, put your name forward and see what happens.”’
Thinking back to what she’d tell her former self on week one, Balvinder said passionately: ‘Keep going, keep going.
‘It’s going to be hard, and you’re going to cry, and you’re going to feel unworthy, but you will get through it. Just enjoy it!’
She’d barely finished before Julian chimed in, teasingly: ‘Straighten those legs.’
Balvinder laughed: ‘And straighten those blinking legs.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns for the semi-final on BBC One this Saturday at 6.35pm.
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