Laila Zaidi

Laila Zaidi
Born	October 1993 (age 31) King's Lynn, Norfolk, England
Alma mater	ArtsEd
Years active	2016–present
Spouse	Adam Gillen

Laila Zaidi (born October 1993) is a British actress. On television, she is known for her roles in the tenth series of Benidorm (2018) on ITV, the fifth series of the Channel 4 comedy-drama Ackley Bridge (2022) and for her role as Maria Jaziri on the BBC soap opera Doctors (2024).

Early life

Zaidi was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk to a Pakistani father from Karachi and an English-Welsh mother,[1] and grew up in Washington, Tyne and Wear.[2] She has an older brother and a younger sister. Zaidi attended Newcastle High School for Girls. She went on to graduate in 2016 from the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in West London with a Bachelor of Arts (BA).[3]

Career

Upon graduating from ArtsEd in 2016, Zaidi made her professional stage debut starring as Maria in the Kilworth House production of West Side Story.[4] She also appeared in The Season Ticket at the Northern Stage. In 2017, she workshopped Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express at The Other Palace in London[5] and made her television debut with a guest appearance in an episode of the BBC medical soap Doctors.

In 2018, Zaidi joined the cast of the long-running ITV sitcom Benidorm for its tenth series as Cyd.[6] She took part in the original cast of the folk opera The Selfish Giant, which premiered at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton[7] and then had a run at London's Vaudeville Theatre for the venue's Oscar Wilde season, marking Zaidi's West End debut.[8] In 2019, she starred as Jess Bhamra in the Canadian production and North American premiere of Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto.[9]

Zaidi joined the main cast of the Channel 4 school-set comedy drama Ackley Bridge for its fifth and final series as the teacher Asma Farooqi, which aired in 2022.[10][11] In 2023, she appeared in the Live Theatre production of Three Acts of Love in Newcastle. She then went on the Rifco tour of Frankie Goes to Bollywood as the titular character.[12] In 2024, she appeared in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Maria Jaziri.[13]

Personal life

In 2023, Zaidi became engaged to fellow Benidorm star Adam Gillen;[14] their relationship had been initially reported on in 2018.[15]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2017	Doctors	Samika Ramaswamy	1 episode
2018	Benidorm	Cyd	Main role
2018	Amigo de Aluguel	Hannah	1 episode
2020	Hayley Alien	Artist	Short film
2020	Holby City	Christie O'Connor	1 episode
2021	The Everlasting Club		Short film
2022	Mood	Zara	1 episode
2022	Ackley Bridge	Asma Farooqi	Main role
2024	Doctors	Maria Jaziri	Recurring role
TBA	Dog Days	Hope

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2016	West Side Story	Maria	Kilworth House, Leicestershire
2016	The Season Ticket	Clare / Gemma	Northern Stage, Newcastle
2017	Starlight Express	Tassita	The Other Palace, London
2018	The Selfish Giant	Charlie / Hail	Royal & Derngate, Northampton / Vaudeville Theatre, London
2019	The Boy Friend	Polly Browne	Menier Chocolate Factory, London / Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto
2019	Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical	Jasminder "Jess" Bhamra	St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Toronto
2023	Three Acts of Love	Clara	Live Theatre, Newcastle
2024	Frankie Goes to Bollywood	Frankie	UK tour

References

1. Silvers, Isabella (25 July 2022). "Laila Zaidi: "This is who I am and I don't have to prove that to you"". Mixed Messages. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
2. Sagar, Sharuna (9 December 2023). "Live Theatre's Three Acts of Love brings talent home". BBC Look North. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
3. "Final curtain for A Level dance students at Newcastle High". Girls' Day School Trust. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
4. Ashworth, Pat (6 June 2016). "West Side Story review, Kilworth House, Leicestershire, 2016". The Stage. Retrieved 3 January 2024.(subscription required)
5. "Rising Stars: Laila Zaidi". The Media Eye. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
6. "Laila Zaidi". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
7. Bowie-Sell, Daisy (6 March 2018). "Jeff Nicholson, Izuka Hoyle, Rose Shalloo and more cast in The Selfish Giant". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
8. "Opening night for Jeff Nicholson and Laila Zaidi in The Selfish Giant". Global Artists. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
9. Train, Louis (19 December 2019). "Review: BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM at St Lawrence Centre". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
10. Brown, Nancy (25 November 2021). "Benidorm star Laila Zaidi to appear in Ackley Bridge as new series confirmed by Channel 4". Entertainment Daily. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
11. "Interview with Laila Zaidi (who plays Asma Farooqi)". Channel 4 Press. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
12. Nazir, Azjad (27 April 2024). "Laila Zaidi: Passion and powerful intention". Eastern Eye. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
13. Timblick, Simon. "Doctors spoilers: Nina stages a PROTEST outside St Phil's Hospital!". What to Watch. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
14. Chase, Stephanie (29 September 2023). "Benidorm co-stars confirm they're engaged". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
15. Deen, Sarah (15 March 2018). "Benidorm stars Adam Gillen and Laila Zaidi 'are secretly dating in real life'". Metro. Retrieved 3 January 2024.

External links

• Laila Zaidi at IMDb
• Laila Zaidi at Spotlight