Guizin Osman

Name: Guizin Osman
First Appeared: 22nd October 1985
Last Appeared: 21st March 1989
Played by: Ishia Bennison

Guizin Osman, the long-suffering wife of the philandering Turkish Cypriot Mehmet Osman, first arrived in Albert Square in October 1985. She made quite an entrance by informing her sister-in-law, Sue Osman, that her husband, Ali, had gambled away the mortgage money for the home they were planning to buy. Guizin and her three children, Emine, Rayif, and Murat, later moved in with Ali and his family in 1987 after Mehmet gambled away their home and deserted them. She worked in the café with Ali and Sue for a few months until Mehmet returned, and she became a partner in the business. Guizin even hired a young Ian Beale, who would later become the sole owner of the café.

Guizin and Mehmet’s marriage was a turbulent one, filled with intense arguments mainly about money and gambling. Guizin was well aware of Mehmet’s flaws and his adultery, but unlike Sue, she often turned a blind eye to keep the marriage together. She knew that, in her community, that’s what a wife was expected to do. However, Guizin was no pushover. She was more than willing to defend herself and her family if anyone crossed her. Over the years, she had numerous rows with Sue and nearly came to blows with Donna Ludlow when she found out Mehmet had tried to seduce her on New Year’s Eve 1987. She was even angrier when she discovered Mehmet had been sleeping with prostitute Mary Smith, but she forgave him for the family’s sake.

The final straw for Guizin came with the one affair Mehmet didn’t actually have. When Sue kissed Mehmet to make Ali jealous, Ali told Guizin about the suspected affair, causing a huge fight between the brothers. Furious, Guizin attacked Mehmet in the middle of the Square and left for Northern Cyprus with her children. Her last appearance was in March 1989. Mehmet soon followed her out of England in an attempt to patch up their relationship.