EastEnders star Aaliyah James is currently at the centre of a huge storyline in the BBC soap, that has seen her character Avani Nandra-Hart strip searched for drugs.

The character was bunking off school with pals Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) and Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) when her former vape dealer dropped a bag of pills by their feet, and they were soon carted off to the police station.

Parents Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) and Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) were too preoccupied to answer their phones, and while the other girls were taken home, Avani was detained for further investigation.

Unwilling to cooperate, the officers decided that she would have to be strip searched to ensure she wasn’t concealing any more narcotics.

In horrific scenes, she was forced to undress in front of two strangers – an incident which left her traumatised.

Aaliyah’s performance through the difficult storyline has been praised by fans and co-stars alike, who took to social media to congratulate her.

How old is Aaliyah James?

While Avani is just 15 years old, actress Aaliyah is actually 24, having been born on 26th June 2000.

The actress joked about the age gap between herself and her character in a birthday post on Instagram last summer.

‘Guys… I’m now 15.. i mean 24 years old.’ She joked.

Her EastEnders co-stars were quick to send her some birthday love, with Suki Panesar actress Balvinder Sopal writing: ‘Happy birthday baby.’

‘Earth day blessings fam,’ Aaron Thiara wrote, while Emma Barton, who plays Honey Mitchell said: ‘Happy Birthday.’

Fans expressed their surprise at her real age in the comments, with one writing: ‘WHAT??? I thought you were like 16!!! Happy birthday girl.’

How long has Aaliyah James played Avani Nandra-Hart in EastEnders?

Aaliyah first joined the show as Avani in 2023.

EastEnders marks the young star’s screen debut, as she revealed when the arrival of her character was announced.

‘To be given this opportunity as my official debut to screen is a true blessing,’ she said upon her casting.

‘I have found home in the supportiveness of the cast and crew, and I’m very thankful to feel a part of the EastEnders family already.

‘I can’t wait to bring Avani to life and to walk her path in Walford, and I’m excited to see what the universe has planned for my own future.’

During her time on the show, she has been involved in some huge storylines, including one which has seen her inherit all of grandfather Nish Panesar’s (Navin Chowdhry) wealth and businesses, alongside brother Nugget Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhry).

She was also brought into the show as the secret daughter of Ravi, and viewers have been able to see their relationship develop over the past two years.