Eastenders actress Nina Wadia has revealed that she got so involved in her on screen persona's birthing scenes, she started hyperventilating and almost passed out on set.
Wadia, who plays Zainab Masood in the BBC soap, said: "I almost did pass out. There was a really surreal moment where all I could see was Nitin Ganatra's face in a small circle and everything around him was all black because I was hyperventilating."
However, the 41-year-old actress was determined to give the scene her all because she is certain she won't ever get the chance to play a pregnant woman again.
She explained to Digital Spy: "I went for it - I thought this is probably the last time in my career I'll get to play having a baby and I could actually do it realistically for once having had them! It's not pretty, I can assure you of that!"
Although she found the scene exhausting, Nina is thrilled to finally be able to stop wearing the fake pregnancy bump.
She explained: "My God, but I'm going to have to wear it for the live episode! Can you believe it? It's a massive one because it's the day before I give birth! It's just uncomfortable - it's sewn into a body suit which I haven't worn since I was a dancer in the 80s!"
