Former BBC star Nitin Ganatra OBE is working in his brother's shop three years after leaving the cast of EastEnders.
The actor, who was appointed OBE this year for his services to drama, likes to help at his sibling's shop in Coventry in between his acting roles.
Nitin, 54, is best recognised for his role as Masood Ahmed on EastEnders from 2007 to 2019, but hasn't let fame get to his head and even helps with paper rounds.
The former EastEnders veteran said that he and his family were forced to fend off racist thugs last year who smashed the windows in of the corner shop.
Speaking to the Made in the Midlands podcast, Nitin explained his part in the upkeep of the shop: "The corner shop has been there for over 45 years. My brother runs it still. On Sunday, I was doing the papers with him.
"I was up at 4.30am doing the papers and trying not to mess up the paper round. It's still got penny chews and the jars of sweets, all those lovely little things."
The actor said the 2021 attack on the shop reminded him of hostility his family had experienced when he was younger.
He said: "The windows were smashed and my brother was attacked last year.
"Often, you'd get people throwing bricks at the windows and the house, they would come in and smash the shop up.
"My dad was attacked, but he fought back as well, and my brother was attacked, and my mum was spat at. It wasn't a daily occurrence, but it was an angry, volatile time."
He also opened up about racist abuse that he had experienced at the hands of bullies during his time at school.
Nitin said: "I'm not in touch with many school friends, but I've got one friend who lives in the Midlands, he's a musician, and I remember him saying to me "what I liked about you was you got beaten up every day and called the P-word, and you still got up and carried on as if nothing had happened."
The actor reflected on the abuse he was put through and said that he had believed it to be "normal behaviour" at the time.
The EastEnders favourite made a name for himself as postman Masood Ahmed, who was married to Strictly Come Dancing 's Nina Wadia 's character Zainab.
He made a brief departure from the show in 2016 before returning in 2017, leaving the show for good in early 2019.
On his exit from the soap, Nitin said: "I can now venture off to new horizons as an actor. I am still deeply attached to Masood and have invested much emotion into making this character memorable.
"I am in awe of how loved he is by audiences and fans of all ages, from all cultures and religions and walks of life. Thank you. I am humbled by the love."
