Shiv Jalota has announced the death of a close family member.
The devastated EastEnders star broke the news to his fans on Instagram on Monday, as he paid tribute to his late nan.
Shiv, who is best known for playing the youngest member of Walford's Panesar family, shared a sweet snap of his loved grandmother as he issued the sad update online.
The Vinny Panesar actor captioned the picture of his late nan and another family member: "Saying goodbye to our Nan Sue today.
"RIP you beautiful being."
The soap star first appeared in Albert Square in October 2019, playing the role Vinny, the youngest brother of the Panesar family, in the BBC series.
Shiv has featured in 191 episodes of the popular BBC soap, where his unruly character has avoided imprisonment after attacking Martin Fowler (James Bye) over the head during a robbery.
He joined the National Youth Theatre in 2013 and gained his first film credit as a gym goer in Heavy Weight three years later. According to IMDB, the 29-year-old's only other film credit came in 2019 short movie White Girl - the same year in which he joined Eastenders.
He spoke about how attending the affordable National Youth Theatre helped shape him as an actor. In an interview with Eastern Eye, Shiv said: "It massively helped me – the NYT basically trained me (as an actor). It’s definitely shaped me as a performer and given me so much confidence."
He added: "As a working class, British Asian, it was a place for me where I saw an opportunity where finances may not be as much of a strain.
"It has given me the strength to realise that if you want to perform or be backstage or on stage or behind the camera, to just go for it.
"Fail, make mistakes but learn in the moment and that’s so important for any actor coming into it – learning in the moment and being present in the moment. That is what the NYT has taught me."
