Parents of Luton hero Amani Liaquat invited to EastEnders' set - and praise brain tumour storyline as 'sensitive and accurate'

The bereaved parents of a brave Luton girl who died of a brain tumour have praised a similar storyline in popular BBC1 soap EastEnders.

Khuram Liaquat and Yasmin Stannard’s 23-year-old daughter Amani – a Masters student and first-class honours law graduate – died in February after being diagnosed with a glioblastoma on her 22nd birthday.

They were invited on to the EastEnders set where actress Danielle Harold is playing character Lola Pearce, whose cancer journey is being portrayed as compassionately and realistically as possible, thanks to input and advice from charities Brain Tumour Research and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Yasmin admitted she and Khuram arrived at the BBC studios in Elstree with mixed emotions.

She said: “It was exciting to be given the opportunity but we knew we were only in that position because of the loss of our beloved daughter.

“We also knew how much Amani would have enjoyed the experience had she still been with us. She would have been so excited by the opportunity of raising awareness about brain cancer to a wider audience.

"It is bittersweet for us to be involved and watch the episodes without her by our side, but in spite of it all, we felt privileged to be even a small part of such an important storyline. And we were impressed by how dedicated EastEnders was at ensuring it covered the subject so sensitively and accurately.

“The whole team seemed very moved and touched to hear about Amani and all she went through.”

Amani was the eldest of three daughters and her family has been following the Lola storyline ‘intently’ throughout.

Yasmin said: “It has stirred memories and emotions from our own journey. Danielle's performance has been amazing and she has been able to accurately convey the fear, hope and despair of those early days.

“It is certainly a difficult watch at times and reminds us of all the difficult moments Amani had to endure, such as receiving her brain cancer diagnosis and undergoing brain surgery without us by her side due to COVID restrictions.

“Watching the reactions of Lola’s loved ones reminds us of our own and how our whole world literally fell apart and life as we knew it was lost forever from the moment of diagnosis.”

She added: “Danielle mentioned in a recent text how she’s keeping Amani and our family 'very close to her heart' as she performs each scene.

"I was so touched by her words and now watch with even more affection than before.

“Nothing can bring our dear Amani back but we do feel the storyline is honouring the traumatic journey she and other fellow fighters have endured.

"We never wanted to lose a child but if something positive can come from our loss then that helps soothe our wounds a little.”

Brain Tumour Research spokesperson Sue Castle-Smith said: “Yasmin and Khuram showed great strength while reliving painful memories of Amani’s diagnosis and treatment for the benefit of others.

“We’re very grateful to them for all they did and to EastEnders for involving us in this crucial storyline to raise awareness of brain tumours, which kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.”