BBC soap EastEnders may have hinted at the upcoming departure of Nish Panesar in its latest episode.

During Monday night’s instalment, Nish made a startling confession to newcomer Ayesha while attempting to sabotage the relationship between his ex-wife, Suki Panesar, and her fiancée, Eve Unwin. However, his manipulative scheme fell apart when Ayesha refused to aid the man responsible for her husband’s death and ultimately left Walford.

It was Nish’s words during this conversation that may have hinted at his imminent departure from the long-running series. Earlier this year, he revealed that he was suffering from a terminal illness and required a heart transplant to survive. His condition has continued to decline, and he has been seen making significant business decisions in an apparent effort to establish a legacy before his death.

Despite the soap not yet confirming whether Nish will be written out permanently, previous episodes indicated that his time was running out faster than he had originally anticipated. With Christmas only four months away, speculation is growing that Nish could pass away before the year’s end. While the exact timeline remains undisclosed, his recent remarks suggest that his fate may be sealed sooner rather than later.

Adding to the intrigue, Nish’s actor, Navin Chowdhry, has responded to fan theories questioning the authenticity of his character’s illness. Some viewers suspect that Nish might be fabricating his diagnosis as part of another ploy. Addressing these rumours, Chowdhry remained cryptic, stating: “I think it’s exciting. Nobody ever expected this with a character like Nish – you’re constantly wondering who he’s going to inflict more pain on next.”

As anticipation builds, fans of EastEnders will be closely watching to see whether Nish’s exit is indeed imminent and how his storyline will ultimately unfold.