Shaheen Jafargholi

Shaheen Jafargholi (; born 23 January 1997) is a Welsh actor and singer. In 2009, he finished in seventh place on the ITV competition series Britain's Got Talent. Since then, he has portrayed the roles of Shakil Kazemi in EastEnders (2016–2018) and Marty Kirkby in Casualty (2018–2023). He also appeared as Billy in the BBC Three horror comedy series Wreck and as Celyn in the BBC One miniseries Lost Boys and Fairies (2024). In 2027 he will play Fabian Salah in season 2 of the Crave series Heated Rivalry.

Early life Shaheen Jafargholi was born on 23 January 1997, at Singleton Hospital, Swansea, Wales. His mother Karen Thomas is Welsh, while his father is Iranian.

Career Child acting In 2009, Jafargholi portrayed the recurring role of Troy in the children's television series Grandpa in My Pocket. He has also acted in the Torchwood episode "Greeks Bearing Gifts" playing Danny – the child of a crazed gun-wielding father and took part in an episode of the medical drama series Casualty playing Christy Skinner, a patient with incurable hiccups. Jafargholi has also toured on stage as a young Michael Jackson in Thriller – Live.

Minor work Jafargholi has also taken part in advertisements for Delta Air Lines, Debenhams and DFS. A planned Walkers Crisps advert with ex-footballer Gary Lineker was cancelled.

For the semi-final Jafargholi chose "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from the musical Dreamgirls. When the judges were about to choose the second place between Jafargholi and dance troupe MD Showgroup, Simon Cowell chose MD Showgroup, but Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan selected Jafargholi. During the final on 30 May 2009, Jafargholi performed "Who's Lovin' You", the song which he had sung during his audition, and received a standing ovation from the audience. He finished in 7th place.

Post Talent Jafargholi sang "I'll Be There" at the 2009 MOBO Awards in September, during the ceremony's tribute to Michael Jackson. A month later, he flew to Chicago to tape an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show performing "Who's Lovin' You", which aired on 14 October. He later performed "Lean on Me" and "Who's Lovin' You" at the BBC Children in Need Gala in Cardiff and the BBC Switch Live event at the Hammersmith Apollo in November 2009, as well as The Ellen DeGeneres Show where he performed "I'll Be There", that aired a month later. On 29 September 2010, Jafargholi performed at the "Welcome to Wales" concert for the Ryder Cup Jafargholi performed in the Britain's Got Talent tour where he performed "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5. He sang the song while being accompanied onstage by Dancers, Aidan Davis and Perri Luc Kiely and Mitchell Craske from Diversity.

Michael Jackson memorial After performing on the Britain's Got Talent tour, Jafargholi sang a musical tribute of "Who's Lovin' You" on stage at the Los Angeles Staples Center, at 7 July 2009 globally televised funeral memorial service for the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson. He had been originally invited to perform with Jackson in his This Is It series of London concerts. His performance was preceded by the eulogy from the song's writer, Smokey Robinson. Following Jafargholi's tribute, Larry King leaned forward and asked Motown founder Berry Gordy, "Who is that?". Gordy, who, according to King, was moved by the performance, reportedly replied, "I have no cotton pickin' idea who that is, but if I were [still] in the business, I would sign him tomorrow."

Debut album In September 2010, Jafargholi announced details for his debut album and single. A double A-side single of "Last Train Home", written by Vince Kidd and Paul Staveley O'Duffy and produced by Paul Staveley O'Duffy and "Hip Teens" (also produced by O'Duffy) was due to be released on 22 November 2010. A press release described "Last Train Home" as an "original string-soaked ballad with a nod to an era gone by", while "Hip Teens" is a cover of soul group Frank Popp's 2007 hit "Hip Teens (Don't Wear Blue Jeans)". Videos were shot for both tracks. The album was to be called When I Come of Age, and was said to be a mixture of original material and rare '60s soul covers. Jafargholi collaborated with top US producers Jerry Duplessis and Igloo & TC (best known for their work with Whitney Houston, The Black Eyed Peas and Backstreet Boys) and UK producers Paul Staveley O'Duffy, Jimmy Hogarth and Martin Terefe for the album. but to date they have never been released.

Adult acting career In 2014, Jafargholi performed as the Genie in The New Victoria Theatre's pantomime, Aladdin. In May 2016, Jafargholi joined the cast of the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, portraying Shakil Kazemi. His character was killed off two years later in May 2018 in a controversial knife-crime storyline where Shakil was stabbed and killed by a gang. On 1 August 2018, it was announced that Jafargholi had joined the cast of Casualty as nurse Marty Kirkby. After five years on the series, he made his final appearance on 18 March 2023.

On 25 August 2026, it was announced that Jafargholi would play Fabian Salah in the second season of Heated Rivalry.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2004 Casualty Christy Skinner Episode: "Inside Out" 2006 Torchwood Danny Episode: "Greeks Bearing Gifts" 2009 Grandpa in My Pocket Troy Recurring role 2016–2018 EastEnders Shakil Kazemi Series regular 2018–2023 Casualty Marty Kirkby Series regular 2019, 2020 Holby City 2 episodes 2023 Wreck Billy Ahmadi Series 2 2024 Lost Boys and Fairies Celyn Miniseries 2025 In Flight Jordan Black Main cast 2026 The Agency: Central Intelligence Zak 2 episodes War Saeed Masood Main cast 2027 Fabian Salah Series 2

Discography Studio albums Title Album details When I Come of Age Unreleased Label: Island Formats: CD, Digital Download Acoustic Released: 8 December 2014 Label: Grinnin' Records Formats: Digital Download

Single Song Year Album "Last Train Home/Hip Teens" 2011 When I Come of Age

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2016 Inside Soap Award Best Newcomer EastEnders 2016 Digital Spy Reader Awards Best Newcomer EastEnders 2020 Inside Soap Awards Best Drama Star Casualty