Heated Rivalry’s Shaheen Jafargholi’s TV past from EastEnders to Michael Jackson link

Shaheen Jafargholi has joined the cast of Heated Rivalry season two as Fabian Salah – but he’s already had plenty of time on television, and will likely be a familiar face to British fans.

The actor, 29, born to a Welsh mother and Iranian father, will be playing the androgynous musician love interest of hockey player Ryan Price, who will be played by Daniel Diemer, as announced by Crave.

And while Heated Rivalry was the first major role for the likes of Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, Jafargholi has had years in front of the camera.

Child actor

Shaheen Jafargholi started acting in 2009, appearing as Troy in the kid’s TV show Grandpa in my Pocket. He also appeared in episodes of Torchwood and Casualty, the medical drama he would later return to.

He also has experience on stage, playing a young Michael Jackson in Thriller – Live (and more on that later), also appearing in productions of Macbeth, The King and I, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Aladdin.

As a youngster, he was also set to star alongside football pundit Gary Lineker in an ad for Walkers Crisps, however it never ended up happening.

Britain’s Got Talent

Again in 2009, when he was around the age of 12, Jafargholi auditioned for ITV show Britain’s Got Talent as a singer.

He auditioned with Amy Winehouse’s version of “Valerie”, but head judge Simon Cowell stopped him after just two lines, telling him he’d “got this really wrong”.

Cowell invited him to sing a second song, and he would eventually land on “Who’s Lovin’ You” by Smokey Robinson, taking inspiration from the Jackson 5 version. That performance got him a standing ovation.

He made it all the way to the end of the show, ultimately coming in seventh place.

Michael Jackson link

After playing a young MJ on stage, he was invited to sing at Jackson’s memorial service at the Los Angeles Staples Center on 7 July, 2009, following the singer’s death.

Originally, he was due to perform alongside the “King of Pop” on his This Is It tour in London, though Jackson died before they could take place.

Jafargholi again sang “Who’s Lovin’ You”.

He would later announce a music career, however no single or album were ever released.

EastEnders

Jafargholi joined BBC soap EastEnders as Shakil Kazemi in May 2016.

He went on to be involved in an incredibly important storyline, which ultimately saw him killed off as a victim of knife-crime. His final appearance came in May 2018.

Other adult TV roles

The actor returned to Casualty as an adult actor, playing nurse Marty Kirkby. He joined the medical drama in August 2018, before leaving in March 2023.

Since, he has appeared in series two of BBC drama Wreck, and the queer mini-series Lost Boys and Fairies, which also aired on the BBC.

His other roles include The Agency: Central Intelligence, and War, an upcoming HBO drama starring the likes of Dominic West and Sienna Miller, set to air in October this year.

Heated Rivalry

Jafargholi is set to play Fabian Salah – the androgynous, musical talent who has no interest in hockey, who ends up falling for childhood crush Ryan Price.

Their love story is the basis of book three of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novel series, called Tough Guy.

Jafargholi joins the other newly announced cast, including Charlie Gillespie, Justice Smith, Edvin Ryding, Emily Hampshire, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees and Priyanka, as well as Daniel Diemer who will play Ryan Price.

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