“Inside EastEnders’ Aaron Thiara’s life and the small age gap with his on-screen daughter”

EastEnders star Aaron Thiara has a surprisingly small age gap with Aaliyah James, who plays his on-screen daughter Avani.

Ravi Gulati, played by Aaron Thiara, has had a turbulent week on Albert Square after accidentally assaulting his son, Nugget, following an incident in which he was spiked.

Earlier in the week on EastEnders, Ravi endured harrowing hallucinations of his late father, Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), which have long haunted him.

The intense episode unfolded after Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) and her son Harry (Elijah Holloway) drugged Ravi in a vengeful move, in response to his kidnapping of Harry the previous year.

These events ultimately led to the tragic death of Okie (Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu) and resulted in Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) being imprisoned.

After enduring incarceration and being drugged, Harry struggled with addiction while in rehab.

In Wednesday night’s episode (January 14), Ravi, now acting as a police informant, caused chaos in the Mitchells’ home, smashing pictures while Nicola and Harry stood firm, reports OK!.

Ravi admitted to the mother-son duo that their actions had led to Nugget being hospitalised — just as George Knight (Colin Salmon) arrived on the scene.

A violent confrontation erupted between Harry and Ravi, with Ravi wielding a baseball bat, culminating in both men crashing through a glass coffee table.

Later, Ravi confided in his girlfriend, Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy), expressing his guilt over nearly harming their son, Nugget (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury). Priya, however, revealed that Nicola is pregnant, highlighting that Ravi’s actions could have put her unborn child at risk.

The episode ended with a distraught Ravi alone at home, turning to self-harm by aggravating a previous wound, while Nugget remained in hospital.

As Ravi continues to dominate storylines in the BBC soap, here’s everything you need to know about actor Aaron Thiara.

Hailing from Wolverhampton, 32-year-old Aaron trained at East 15 Acting School in Loughton. During his final year, he performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in productions of Antony and Cleopatra and Julius Caesar.

Aaron made his screen debut in 2013 with the film Team Xtreme. By 2015, he had moved into fight direction, working on various projects, including the hit series Bridgerton in 2022.

Before joining EastEnders as Ravi in 2022, Aaron appeared in numerous television shows and theatre productions. Since becoming part of the Walford ensemble, he has earned two British Soap Award nominations.

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Off-screen, Aaron Thiara keeps a low profile, and his current relationship status is unknown. However, he occasionally shares glimpses of his life on Instagram.

In August 2025, he posted a series of photos from a holiday in Spain with his mother. In one image, Aaron is pictured against a vivid orange backdrop, wearing a red shirt and denim trousers, looking down thoughtfully.

In another short video, he is seen enjoying an outdoor shower in a pair of Speedos, soaking up the Mediterranean sun.

On-screen age difference
Ravi is the estranged father of Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James), whom he reconnected with in 2023. Now 16, Avani has quickly made her mark on Walford with her cheeky personality and bold attitude.

Off-screen, despite their on-screen family roles, there is only a seven-year age gap between the two actors.

Although Aaliyah James portrays the teenage Avani, she was born in June 2000, making her 25, while Aaron Thiara, who plays Ravi, was born in May 1993, making him 32.

The age difference between Aaliyah and Sophie Khan Levy, who plays Avani’s mother Priya, is also much smaller than it appears on screen.

At 36, Sophie is only ten years older than her on-screen daughter.