EastEnders star Mika Paris revealed that she changed her name due to Michelle Fowler

She made her debut as villain Elle Nixon on Friday’s EastEnders.

Mika Paris, 51, revealed that she changed her name due to the soap as she started her career as a singer.

The My One Temptation singer explained how she changed her name to Mika after her name was very close to the character of Michael Fowler played by Susan Tully.

Talking to the sunMika praised actress Susan, 52, for her role as single mother Michelle who starred in the series from 1985 to 1995.

She said: My real name is Michelle and she was very famous at the time.

I was about to sign at that point. And I thought, “Oh, she’s so famous, and my name would be very close to her.”

Najma: The mother-of-two auditioned for EastEnders in March and discovered she landed the role just a day before the country closed

The mother-of-two auditioned for EastEnders in March and discovered she landed the role just a day before the country closed.

She made her debut in Albert Square on Friday and was introduced as Ellie Nixon who has a surprising relationship with Dennis Fox, played by Diane Parrish.

Mika found fame in the 1980s with songs like My One Temptation and Where is the Love. Her debut album So Good was selling platinum.

Pop icon: Mika discovered fame in the 1980s with songs like My One Temptation and Where is the Love. Her debut album So Good was selling platinum (pictured 2014)

The star revealed how she is “a good Londoner” and described why she tested the soap because it was “a reflection of the UK.”

Elsewhere, Mika has also been a hit on TV, capturing Trainney and Susanna for two seasons of What Not To Wear and having a Radio 2 show called Mica Meets.

She has also appeared in Celebrity Masterchef, reached the semi-finals, and has parts in West End musicals such as Fame.

Emotional: In July, Mika revealed how she was “overwhelmed with sadness” and broke down in tears after visiting a small cellar once used to hide slaves who were on the run for a new show.

But there were tough times, too. In 2001 her brother was killed after his girlfriend refused his killer’s advances.

In July, Mika revealed how she was “mired in grief” and collapsed crying after visiting a small cellar previously used to hide fugitive slaves.

The singer went to the Slave Haven Underground Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, while filming her BBC documentary, The Gospel According to Mika.

She explained how being in the emotional location made her feel “angry” and reflect on the racism her ancestors had suffered from.

Talking to Sunday MirrorMika said, ‘After that, I felt very sad and angry. I can not help but cry.

It made me realize what my ancestors went through and the racism they experienced and how it was not different for me, ”Mika added.

It’s like a Jew going to Auschwitz. It wasn’t any different.

History: The singer explained how the visit “ made me realize what my ancestors went through and the racism they experienced ” (pictured in March 2019)