It turns out that EastEnders newcomer Aaliyah James almost made it onto the show long before her big break, but things didn’t quite go to plan the first time around.

In a fun TikTok video shared on the official EastEnders account, Aaliyah, who plays Avani Nandra-Hart, joined her on-screen family, Balvinder Sopal (Suki Panesar), Priya Davdra (Priya Nandra-Hart), and Juhaim Rasul Choudhury (Davinder ‘Nugget’ Gulati) for a round of Two Truths and a Lie.

The light-hearted clip quickly turned into a surprising confession from the young star about her journey to Albert Square.

Aaliyah finally made it to Walford after previously being rejected by the Soap (Picture: BBC)

During the video, the cast members took turns guessing which of Aaliyah’s statements was false. Her three options were: She’s never broken a limb, she cut the gap between her fingers with scissors in Year One, and she had an audition for EastEnders before; she recorded a self-tape but never heard back.

The rest of the Panesar family were confident they could spot the fib. Balvinder Sopal, who has played the formidable Suki since 2020, was especially certain that the ‘audition’ claim had to be a lie. She reasoned that if Aaliyah had auditioned for EastEnders before joining the cast, she surely would have mentioned it before.

But Aaliyah had a surprise in store. After the guesses are made, she reveals that, in fact, she had previously auditioned for EastEnders. The moment of disbelief quickly turns into laughter among the group as her on-screen family realise they’d been completely fooled.

Aaliyah goes on to explain that she’d recorded a self-tape audition for the BBC One soap before, but never heard anything back.

However, as fate would have it, her path circled back to EastEnders later on, this time in the role of Avani Nandra-Hart, Priya’s daughter and Suki’s granddaughter, who has become part of the ever-expanding Panesar family storyline.

The TikTok didn’t end there. After revealing her secret, Aaliyah momentarily gets her own facts mixed up, accidentally forgetting which statement was supposed to be the lie.

Her co-stars burst into laughter as she tries to remember the correct order. Eventually, she confirms that she has broken a limb before, and that the only untrue statement was her claim that she had once cut her finger with a scissors.

Fans seemed to love the candid moment and took their own guesses about Aaliyah’s lie in the comments section. The playful behind-the-scenes energy between the cast gave viewers a glimpse into the real-life chemistry that makes the Panesars such a fan-favourite family on-screen.

Aaliyah James joined EastEnders earlier this year and has quickly made an impression as Avani, a confident and sometimes mischievous teen who’s not afraid to speak her mind.

Since her arrival, she’s been involved in several key storylines within the Panesar household, bringing a youthful spark to the family’s dynamic.

The EastEnders TikTok team has been sharing more behind-the-scenes clips like this recently, giving fans an inside look at life beyond Walford’s drama. From cast games to bloopers, the lighter side of the soap seems to have been a hit on social media.