Gurlaine Kaur Garcha

Gurlaine Kaur Sidhu or Garcha (born 20 September 1993) is an English actress. On television, she is known for her role as Ash Panesar in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders (2019–2023).

Early life Garcha was born in Luton to Kenyan-born parents of Punjabi Sikh heritage. Garcha attended St George's School, Harpenden. She was six years old when she took up taekwondo and later joined the Trenic TKD Academy in Yiewsley, West London.

Career Garcha first began acting at the age of 15, appearing in the boxing short film Counter Punch and auditioning for the E4 teen drama Skins, making it to the final 15 of 8,000 who auditioned for a role.

In 2019, Garcha made her feature film debut with a small role in the coming-of-age comedy-drama Days of the Bagnold Summer. That same year, she joined the cast of the BBC One soap opera EastEnders as Dr Ashneet "Ash" Panesar (or Kaur), a member of the soap's Panesar family and Iqra Ahmed's love interest. Garcha had been inspired by EastEnders star Lacey Turner when studying drama herself. She took a temporary break from the soap in early 2022 to do charity work in Malawi. She exited the soap in March 2023.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2011 Counter Punch Short film 2012 Holby City Hayah Amir Episode: "Wolf's Clothing" 2012 Doctors CJ Jaspal Episode: "A Lighter Note" 2016 Liv Nadia Short film 2019 Daughter Lilah Short film 2019 Days of the Bagnold Summer Receptionist 2019–2023 EastEnders Ash Panesar 159 episodes 2025 The Girlfriend Shabana Episode: #1.4