EastEnders’ newest villain Mica Paris has revealed she ditched her real name because she didn’t want to be confused with the soap’s Michelle Fowler character.
Mica, also a well-known singer whose hits include My One Temptation and Where Is The Love?, made her debut on the BBC show last night.
She told how she opted for Mica as she feared her her music career might be hampered because her name was too similar to Michelle Fowler, who was played by Susan Tully between 1985 and 1995.
Speaking to The Sun, Mica , 51, said: “Susan is an amazing actress. I’m such a fan.
“My real name is Michelle and she was just so popular back then.
“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.”
The London-born singer, who plays Ellie Nixon, auditioned for the show earlier this year.