Natalie Cassidy reveals shocking toll EastEnders took on her LOOKS – claiming that her face has changed since she was ‘liberated’ from BBC soap
Natalie Cassidy has revealed the shocking toll EastEnders took on her career and even her LOOKS – claiming that her face has changed since she was ‘liberated’ from the BBC soap.
The actress, 42, played the iconic Sonia Fowler on the show from 1993 until earlier this year.
Back in January it was revealed that Natalie was leaving the programme after nearly 32 years on the Square, which was then followed by her last episode in April.
Since then, the soap star has been able to ‘reinvent’ herself and show off a more ‘glamorous’ side to herself after being in scrubs for her character over the past three decades.
Talking to Prima, Natalie said: ‘It was amazing when I got to reinvent myself after leaving EastEnders.
‘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.
Natalie Cassidy has revealed the shocking toll EastEnders took on her career and even her LOOKS – and has admitted that her face has changed since she was ‘liberated’ from the BBC soap
The actress, 42, played the iconic Sonia Fowler on the show from 1993 until earlier this year
Back in January it was revealed that Natalie was leaving the programme after nearly 32 years on the Square, which was then followed by her last episode in April
‘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.”
‘I do feel like my face has changed a little since leaving EastEnders, because I was quite sad and depressed when I was playing Sonia, or angry all the time.
‘So I feel like my frown lines have sort of faded away, which is quite nice!’
Speaking about her decision to leave the iconic soap, she told the publication: ‘I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I think turning 40 is a milestone.
‘I think you know who you are, you know who your friends are, and where you are in life. You don’t want any rubbish.
‘And for me, having been in this business for such a long time, I just needed to be free and be open to everything else.
‘EastEnders is a brilliant job, but when you’re there, you’re chained. And that’s not a bad thing, because it’s regular money.
Natalie, pictured aged 16, said that she needed to ‘break free’ and leave the show
‘You know where you are and what you’re doing. But you haven’t got any time to plan anything else, so it does take over your whole life.
‘For me, I just knew I needed to be brave, and I needed to break free from that to sit and go, “What else is going to come?”‘
In April EastEnders fans were left sobbing as Sonia departed Alebert Square.
But she wasn’t the only character who said goodbye to friends and family in Walford.
Her sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and daughters Bex (Jasmine Armfield) and baby Julia, have also headed to Bali.
As Sonia finally departed the square on the back of a speedboat on a trailer, she was waved off by the other residents.
Since leaving EastEnders, Natalie has been busy working on her podcast Life with Nat and Off the Telly with Joanna Page.
This year she’s starred in a number of popular telly shows.
Natalie appeared on The Masked Singer as Bush, as well as Cooking with the Stars and another due to hit our screens is Natalie Cassidy Learning to Care.
She also played Sharon Hail in Boarders.
Over the years she’s taken part in The Catherine Tate Show, Psychoville, Crime Stories, Mandy and Motherland