Natalie Cassidy Reflects on Soap Legends and Her Exit
Natalie Cassidy, who played Sonia Fowler on EastEnders for Overover three decades, spoke to Prima magazine about her time on the BBC soap and the iconic stars she worked alongside. Cassidy cherished her bond with veteran actresses like Wendy Richard, Barbara windsor-northern-Irelandireland-2/”>Windsorwindsor/”>Windsor, and June Brown.
“Obviously the elders, because I am an old soul,” she said. “I always connected with Wendy Richards and Barbara Windsor, and I would say that June Brown was my dearest, oldest friend.”
Windsor, who famously played Peggy england/england/mitchell/”>mitchell/”>Mitchell, died in 2020. June Brown, who portrayed Dot Cotton well into her 90s, passed away in 2022. Wendy Richard, known for Pauline Fowler, died in 2009.
Why Cassidy Walked Away and How She’s Changed
Natalie left EastEnders earlier this year and admitted she relished the freedom after decades of playing the grounded, hard-working NHS character.
“Sonia isn’t the most glamorous of characters, bless her, but I wanted to stay true to her character, so I never got extensions put in or dyed my hair,” Cassidy revealed.
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“She was just a worker who didn’t have a lot of money and worked for the NHS. But coming away and breaking free, I just thought, ‘I want to be glam. I want to wear coloured nails. And just feel like me.’”
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