Natalie Cassidy's poignant gift from EastEnders cast with telling nod to Sonia
Natalie Cassidy was given an extremely fitting gift, which fans will find hilarious and touching, to commemorate her time as Sonia Fowler on EastEnders
Natalie Cassidy has left the set of EastEnders behind, but she's taken with her a poignant and hilarious reminder of her time on the show. At an emotional leaving do cast and crew gathered to present Natalie with a special gift to commemorate one of Soniaās iconic storylines ā learning the trumpet as a teenager. āI had a really nice leaving do,ā says Natalie. āEverybody was there, all the crew, costume, make-up and friends that Iāve known for a very long time. We had a really nice evening and they gave me a lovely little necklace with a trumpet on.ā
Sonia is still on-screen preparing for the funeral of her ex-husband Martin Fowler (James Bye). However, Natalie has already left the set following an emotional leaving party. āIāve only been gone a few weeks so it feels a bit like Iām still on holiday but itās just really nice,ā says Natalie. āItās going to be a good change.ā
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Article continues belowNatalie also took another keepsake to remind her of her decades on the soap. āI took the plaque off my dressing room door,ā she says. āItās emotional because you miss the people but itās time to have a change. Iām very glad Iāve made that decision and that theyāve left the door open for me.ā
After successful comedy turns in Diane Morganās Mandy and BBC One hit Motherland, Natalie dreams of a role in a classic sitcom. And sheās already bagged a role in BBC Threeās teen comedy Boarders. āI love comedy or even an old-fashioned kind of sitcom,ā says Natalie. āAmandaland is out at the moment. I think they should bring back studio sitcoms, I just love a bit of comedy.ā
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Another dream role is a travelogue with Patsy Palmer, who has become a close pal after playing her sister Bianca for over three decades. āI always say that me and Patsy should do something because we are like real sisters,ā says Natalie. āSo it would be great to do a travelogue with us travelling around together.ā
EastEnders bosses made good use of Natalie before she left the soap, writing incredible scenes for Sonia in the 40th anniversary live episode, which was watched by 3.7 million people. During the episode pregnant Sonia became trapped in The Queen Vic following an explosion, before giving birth on the floor. āIt was brilliant,ā grins Natalie. āIt was a real challenge being asked to give birth on-screen live but it was an honour.
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āWe had the most incredible time because it changed into a different job. Normally youāre churning out 16 scenes a day, bang, bang, bang, whereas with this we had 10 days to really concentrate on that one episode and rehearse it. It was a really lovely bubble to be in. It just felt like a really good time to say goodbye.ā
Now Natalie is shaking off Sonia for good with some hair extensions, highlights and a manicure. āIāve had some lovely extensions put in my hair, which Iāve not been able to do for a long time,ā says Natalie. āIāve got a little bit more length in it, and Iāve gone a bit lighter with a few red and blonde shades. It is very different to Sonia, and Iāve had my nails done. It feels lovely to be that little bit more me.ā
While she might not be on-screen, Natalie will always be an EastEnders viewer. āIāll always miss Sonia, but Iām going to watch the show,ā says Natalie. āIām a huge fan of the show itself. Me and my daughter Eliza love watching it. Iāll watch all my friends and keep in touch with everybody. And Soniaās never too far away.ā
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Striking out in a new direction, Natalie has now filmed a new series called Whatās The Big Deal: Britainās Best Buys? for Channel 4, investigating the UKās most talked-about products and finding out whether theyāre worth the hype. Viral products like LED face masks, ice baths, packing cubes and lionās mane mushrooms are put to the test by Natalie and a panel of six families.
āWe all sit and look at things and buy things we donāt need so itās nice to have a really deep delve into it to see if itās really worth it,ā says Natalie. āItās about those one-click purchases!ā Natalie investigates some big ticket items but itās one of the smaller products thatās changed her own life. āIn one of the episodes we do vegetable choppers and I thought, āIs that a bit boring?ā But there are so many different ones!ā says Natalie. āI love cooking but Iām left-handed and I actually cut really badly so when I do an onion it just takes me forever. As soon as we filmed the vegetable chopping box, I went straight online and bought one. Itās changed my life, itās a lifesaver.ā
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To help consumers decide what to spend their money on, Natalie endures ice baths, goes make-up free to have her wrinkles examined and even lets experts measure her body fat as she investigates body fat scales. "I think itās really refreshing for someone on the telly to jump on the scales and show their body fat and Iām not sure everyone would do that,ā laughs Natalie. āI thought it was good for women to see. The BMI thing is ridiculous.
āIn this day and age, Iām actually under average weight but Iām practically obese on a BMI scale. The body fat thing is mad. People get ruled by scales and we shouldnāt.ā
Article continues belowWhatās The Big Deal: Britainās Best Buys? starts on Friday 4 April at 8pm on Channel 4. Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
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