New pictures from the ‘EastEnders’ set appear to reveal that Shabnam Masood is about to reunite with her daughter, Jade, after suffering a stillbirth.
Rakhee Thakar’s character is currently expecting a baby with her fiancé Kush, but the BBC have confirmed that the unborn baby will die.
The actors film scenes
Newly-released pictures show Rakhee filming with the young actress who plays Jade, the child she gave up for adoption after a one-night stand with Dean Wicks.
While Dean has made contact with Jade in recent months, Shabnam currently have nothing to do with her, but judging from these snaps, she's set to bond with her daughter after her personal tragedy.
The emotional storyline is set to air later this month, and the scenes pictured here will follow in October.
The scenes will air over a month after Shabnam's stillbirth
The soap’s bosses have worked with Sands, a stillbirth and neonatal death charity, to ensure scenes are handled sensitively.
Speaking when the storyline was announced, Rakhee said: “In the UK, 3628 babies were stillborn in 2013, that’s one in every 216 births; a shocking fact I've come to learn during my preparation for telling this story.
“It is an experience that profoundly changes a person's life forever, and we feel a heavy responsibility to tell the truth of this. Our hope is that we can encourage people to talk about their experiences and their babies that have died.”
Shabnam, and her best friend Stacey, are both pregnant
Erica Stewart, Sands’ bereavement support services manager added: “The death of a baby is rarely talked about. Many people shy away from the issue, others have a misconception that this is a thing of the past. We hope that with a TV drama as popular as ‘EastEnders’ covering this heartbreaking experience, it will help to lift the taboo, and raise awareness of all the issues that surround the death of a baby.
“We worked closely with the writers and actors on this storyline. We really appreciate their dedication to ensuring that they portray the impact that the death of a baby has on bereaved families as truthfully as possible. Everyone involved has approached this storyline with incredible sensitivity.”
If you've been affected by the issues in this article, please contact Sands on 020 7436 5881.