BBC soap Eastenders will lose Kareena Ferreira for a few months for a make-over which will see her returning as a sex kitten. Kareena is played by Pooja Shah as part of the Ferreira family. She will be packed off to India for two months.

An Eastenders spokesperson today confirmed: "Kareena will leave for a few months — but will return as a very different girl".

Insiders say the character will most probably return as a 'vamp' to rival Zoe Slater as the soap's biggest sex symbol. It will also come as a complete surprise to the rest of the Ferreira family.

There is growing concern with producers of the show that the much publicised Asian family, introduced only last year, is losing popularity. The move to change Kareena's character is first attempt to make the Ferreira family less dull and more hedonistic.

Pooja recently said in an interview that she was getting bored of her character. "I’m fed up with it now. Kareena’s too dowdy. I wanted Kareena to be different, to stand out. If I’m completely honest, I can’t stand her — she just grates on my nerves. She hasn’t got many friends, but then I wouldn’t be her friend if I met her."

The move is likely to raise some eyebrows within the Asian community, which still remains highly self-concious of portrayals of Asian characters on screen. With a primetime popular soap such as Eastenders such fears are usually magnified.