Bhavna Jayanty Limbachia (born 21 April 1984) is a British actress. She is known for her roles as Alia Khan in the BBC comedy Citizen Khan (2012–2016)[4] and Rana Habeeb in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2016–2019).[5]
Early life and education
Limbachia was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1984 to an Indian-born mother and a Kenyan-born father. She is a Hindu.[6]
Limbachia studied photography, fashion and textiles at college, then moved onto a degree course in Costume Design at Bretton Hall, an affiliate college of the University of Leeds.[7][8]
Before going into acting, Limbachia worked in costume departments on several film sets including Chicken Tikka Masala in 2005, Bradford Riots in 2006 as a costume trainee, and All Day Breakfast in 2008. In 2010, she set up her own business designing and selling vintage clothing and accessories.[9]
Limbachia took an office with Trading Standards and saved up money to do an acting course at the Manchester School of Acting.
Limbachia made her television debut in 2012 playing the character Alia Khan in the BBC comedy series Citizen Khan.[11] The character wears a hijab, tight jeans and tops, and a lot of make-up.[12]
In February 2016, Limbachia joined the long-running ITVsoap opera, Coronation Street, playing Rana Habeeb as a love interest for character Zeedan Nazir. In January 2019, Limbachia announced her departure from the show, with Rana being killed off later in the year. She departed in the episode broadcast on 20 March 2019.[citation needed]
Rana was the show's first muslimlesbian character and her partnership with Faye Brookes, who plays her lover Kate Connor has been highlighted amongst fans and the community. The storyline in which Rana discovers her sexuality and her parents’ subsequent disappointment was praised and the two characters gained the supercouple name ‘Kana’.[13][14] The Rana and Kate storyline was named as one of the Top 10 LGBT+ Media Moments in the British LGBT Awards 2019.[15]
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