Mica Paris changed her name because of EastEnders

Mica Paris changed her name because of \'EastEnders\'.

The 51-year-old singer recently joined the BBC soap as "ruthless and uncompromising force of nature" Ellie Nixon and admitted she chose her stage name because of Walford\'s Michelle Fowler, then played by Susan Tully.

She told The Sun newspaper: "Susan is an amazing actress. I\'m such a fan. My real name is Michelle and she was just so popular back then.

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"I was just about to get signed at that point. And I thought, \'Oh, she\'s just too popular and my name will be too close to hers\'.

"At that point you don\'t even realise how big the show was. Everybody and Jesus was watching it every night.

"You\'d watch \'Enders\' and Wogan. And those were your shows, man.

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"You ran home from wherever you were. School, after-hours club, whatever, you ran home for the shows. That was life."

Meanwhile, Mica previously gushed she is "over the moon" about joining the soap and said she can\'t wait for viewers to get to know her character.

She said: "I am absolutely over the moon to be in \'EastEnders\'. I have been a fan since its first episode with Susan Tully being my favourite.

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"My character the formidable Ellie Nixon, is a new frontier for me as an actress - a lot of folks will see me as never before."

EastEnders\' executive producer Jon Sen previously admitted Mica was the "first person who came to mind" for the part.

He said: "We\'re thrilled to welcome Mica Paris to the world of Walford to play tough, no-nonsense Ellie Nixon.

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"Ellie proves herself to be a ruthless and uncompromising force of nature who stops at nothing to ensure she capitalises on whatever she can.

"The part demanded both charisma and presence and having seen Mica on stage, she was the first person who came to mind for this role. We can\'t wait for the audience to meet Ellie and the mystery that surrounds her."