Carmel Kazemi

Executive Producer said: “Bonnie Langford is a British institution – and an old-school hard-graft actress gifted at both comedy and serious drama. Bonnie brings wit, pathos and a touch of class to Carmel Kazemi – a thoroughly modern Essex divorcée who isn’t quite ready to cut the apron strings firmly attached to her son Kush. Even if it means clashing spectacularly with an already prickly Shabnam…”

About
A flirty, feisty Essex girl with the heart of a lion… Carmel is an Essex girl through and through, but has worked hard to shake off her ditzy stereotype. She projects the image of a strong, independent woman, but underneath lies quite a sensitive and lonely person.

To her friends, Carmel is warm, kind and a good listener with a spiritual side - and is very much the life and soul of the party!

Family is everything to Carmel - after her relationship ended badly with Umar, her husband, she is determined to ensure her ‘little Kushy’ settles down with the right woman.

Storylines
Carmel comes for dinner with Shabnam after she becomes engaged to Kush. She gets on well with her father, Masood Ahmed, and they go for a drink together, where Masood tells Carmel that Shabnam had a secret daughter which she abandoned seven years ago. Carmel is understanding and offers her support to Shabnam, although it just makes Shabnam angry at Masood for revealing her secret.

After her son Kush had proposed to Shabnam she tries to take control by wanting to have an engagement party for them but Shabnam isn't having anything of it but then in the episode which aired 11th June  Carmel gets Stacey to rally up the guys to practice a dance which her zumba teacher taught her but then Stacey ended up shows the boys (Kush, Martin and Fatboy) a dance that she does know.

Carmel comes for dinner with Shabnam after she becomes engaged to Kush. She gets on well with her father, Masood Ahmed, and they go for a drink together, where Masood tells Carmel that Shabnam had a secret daughter which she abandoned seven years ago. Carmel is understanding and offers her support to Shabnam, although it just makes Shabnam angry at Masood for revealing her secret. Carmel visits the Masoods frequently and Shabnam dislikes her heavy involvement with the wedding planning. She is delighted when Shabnam and Kush announce they are expecting. Carmel arrives at Shabnam and Kush's flat, upset as Kush's father is selling her house. Shabnam begrudgingly allows her to move in temporarily, but later catches Carmel and Masood in bed together. After Kush learns that his baby is stillborn, his father contacts Carmel and allows her to move back in to her house. Before returning to Essex, she and Masood help Kush and Shabnam reconcile for their stillborn son, Zaair's, funeral.