EastEnders introduces Iqra's girlfriend Ash as Gurlaine Kaur Garcha joins the cast

Revelations on EastEnders this week saw Iqra Ahmed (Priya Davdra) reveal to her sister Habiba that she's a lesbian and has a partner, the identity of whom has thus far remained a mystery.

But now, the BBC1 soap has given us a first look at the woman in Iqra's life - Walford newcomer Ash, played by actress Gurlaine Kaur Garcha.

• Iqra comes out to her sister Habiba
• Who is joining, leaving and returning to EastEnders?

Scenes to be shown on Thursday 29th August will see an antsy Iqra decide to reveal the truth to her grandparents, who are currently under the misapprehension that she's dating a man. As she prepares to drop the bombshell, Ash arrives for moral support and despite being wracked with nerves, Iqra proudly announces that Ash is her girlfriend. But how will Mariam and Arshad react?

Gurlaine's previous screen credits include Holby City, in which she had a guest role playing Hayah Amir in 2012, the same year she played CJ Jaspal in Doctors.

The news about Iqra's sexuality won the hearts of soap devotees, with many tweeting their respect for the character:

The only thing now remaining is what hashtag relationship name will be given to the loved-up pair. Iqrash? Ashra? It's surely only a matter of time before one of those two options are seized upon online...

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