Afia Masood
played by Meryl Fernandes

A free-spirit that knows what she wants and how to get it...
First appearance: 01.10.2010
Marital Status: Married
Address: 41 Albert Square
Occupation: Co-owner of the Argee Bhajee/ Opticians receptionist
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Actor profile

About Meryl Fernandes

Eastenders was Meryl's first professional acting role, although she has also appeared in the show as a schoolgirl extra!
She has also starred in a variety of television shows including the smash hit drama 'Doctor Who' and 'Minder' along side none other than resident cheeky-chappy Shane Richie!
In theatre, Meryl has dazzled audiences at the National theatre in 'The Man of Mode' and 'A Matter of Life and Death'.

Character Profile

Afia is adventurous and straight to the point, doesn't sugar-coat the truth, and doesn't follow everyone else. Life is too short to just be part of the crowd and she wants to stand out!
The closest person she has is her father, Yusef, after losing her mother at a young age.
She knows what she wants and cunningly knows how to get it, which she proved by bagging the Square's local nerd Tamwar Masood. But can they live happily ever after with the past that lies between both their families?

Family

Yusef Khan

Father

Love

Tamwar Masood

After meeting by accident, Afia and Tamwar began a romance which was

EastEnders Spoiler: Afia turns against Yusef - Spoiler Pictures

Friday, December 2, 2011 at 7:49 AM

'EastEnders': Afia turns against Yusef - Spoiler Pictures - Digital Spy

Published Tuesday, Nov 29 2011, 00:01 GMT | By Daniel Kilkelly

EastEnders villain Yusef Khan has a new problem to deal with in next week's episodes as his own daughter Afia starts to stand in the way of his plans.

Afia (Meryl Fernandes) turns against Yusef when she discovers the truth about the fire which nearly killed Zainab all those years ago. Fans will see how she makes the discovery in an upcoming episode.

Stunned that her father tried to kill Zainab, Afia makes it clear to Yusef (Ace Bhatti) that she knows his secret and warns that she will only keep quiet if he cuts ties with the Masoods and leaves London for good.

However, Yusef is unprepared to let Zainab (Nina Wadia) go, so he makes the shock decision to tell her the truth about the fire. Zainab is immediately horrified to see Yusef's true colours and rushes out in an emotional state, before later returning and ordering the scheming doctor to leave.

Unwilling to go without a fight, Yusef tries to manipulate Zainab once again, reminding her that he was young and emotional at the time and that he risked his life by going back to save her.

Zainab ultimately makes a surprise decision of her own as she is finally won round by Yusef's words and agrees to marry him the next day.

While Zainab's family are unhappy over her plans, it's only Denise (Diane Parish) who seems willing to step in - warning Zainab that Yusef is controlling her and that she's strong enough to break free. Will Zainab heed her advice or will she marry Yusef?