Ayesha Rana

Name: Ayesha Rana
First Appeared: 17th December 2012
Last Appeared: 1st March 2013
Played by: Shivani Ghai

Ayesha Rana’s time in Walford was nothing short of a whirlwind. She first appeared in the café, where Zainab, not recognising her, accused her of queue-jumping. Classic Zainab! Later, Ayesha showed up at Zainab’s house, catching her mid-face mask. Zainab was miffed, as Ayesha was three weeks early. Ayesha then overheard Zainab telling Tamwar that he would be a better match for her than Rashid Kayani. Zainab’s matchmaking attempts at her New Year’s Eve party were thwarted when Tamwar ended up looking after a sick Ayesha, thanks to AJ Ahmed spiking the punch.

Ayesha met Rashid and thought he was “alright,” but soon developed a crush on Masood. Masood, ever the gentleman, didn’t spill the beans to Zainab and encouraged Ayesha to give Rashid another shot. Despite meeting Rashid again, Ayesha’s heart was set on Masood. She fibbed to Zainab about still seeing Rashid while confessing her love to Masood, who, unfortunately for her, didn’t reciprocate. Ayesha eventually confessed her feelings to Zainab and left Walford in a dramatic exit.

After Masood and Zainab’s breakup and Zainab’s move to Pakistan, Ayesha made a bold return. She sabotaged Masood’s date with Carol and shared a kiss with him the next day. Masood considered leaving with Ayesha, but ultimately, he decided against it, leaving Ayesha to depart alone once more. Tamwar, ever the observant one, suspected Ayesha’s return was the reason for Zainab’s departure.