EastEnders legend Natalie Cassidy reveals real reason behind shock decision to quit soap after 32 years

EASTENDERS’ Natalie Cassidy has spoken for the archetypal clip astir her daze determination to discontinue the soap aft 32 years, insisting: “It’s clip to beryllium brave.”

The mum of two, who has played Sonia Fowler since she was ten, volition permission arsenic portion of the BBC One show’s 40th day — a determination she made successful the summer.

In her archetypal interview, exclusively with The Sun connected Sunday, she said: “I’m 42 this year, I conscionable consciousness similar it’s clip to beryllium brave.

“You don’t privation to get to 70 and think, ‘I ne'er tried that’.

“I’ve loved this programme with each my heart. I started astatine ten, it’s successful my bones, it’s successful my heart.”

Natalie made the decision pursuing a heart-to-heart with the soap’s apical brag Chris Clenshaw six months ago.

She said: “I’d been reasoning astir it for a small while. I had a fantastic chat with Chris backmost successful the summer. It’s conscionable exciting.”

Natalie volition present movie her last scenes aboriginal this month.

‘Iconic moment’

A week of day episodes volition spot a immense detonation rip done the Queen Vic pub and rumours are rife that Natalie’s fashionable quality could dice successful the blast.

But she’s staying tight-lipped astir the destiny of Sonia, who has precocious been connected proceedings wrongly accused of sidesplitting Debbie Colwell.

Natalie said: “I’ve got to retrieve successful my caput that when, arsenic an actress, you marque a determination to permission a amusement similar this, you can’t hypothesise oregon interest astir what’s going to hap to your character.

“That is down to the brag and the storyliners arsenic the destiny of Sonia is successful their hands. I’ve had to instrumentality a heavy breath, and go, ‘I’ve made my decision, I’ve conscionable got to fto it play out’.”

Natalie arrived successful Albert Square successful 1993 arsenic portion of the rowdy Jackson clan, which included sister Bianca, played by Patsy Palmer; member Robbie, portrayed by Dean Gaffney; and Lindsey Coulson arsenic mum Carol.

She near successful 2007, earlier returning concisely betwixt 2010 and 2011, and again successful 2014.

Her earliest representation is being fixed a caller bomber overgarment that she had to “dirty up” astatine schoolhouse to look worn.

She said: “I was like, ‘I perfectly emotion Sonia, she’s going to beryllium a existent tearaway’, and it ne'er turned retired similar that.”

The show’s biggest stars crossed the decades, including June Brown, Pam St Clement, Barbara Windsor, Wendy Richard, Letitia Dean and Natalie’s on-screen mum Lindsey, each took her nether their wing.

But it was her friendships with legendary actresses June, who played Dot Cotton, and Wendy arsenic Pauline Fowler, that led to nights retired and holidays.

She said: “I was going retired with June, aged 18, having a solid of reddish vino with her successful The Ivy erstwhile she was successful her seventies.

“We went to Malta and we sat successful a Jacuzzi unneurotic having a laugh. We stripped off!

“I utilized to spell circular to Wendy’s and we’d larn our lines successful our pyjamas and person sleepovers! It was great. You made friendships that were conscionable amazing.”

Natalie, who lives with her 2 daughters and cameraman fiancé Marc Humphreys, can’t retrieve a clip successful her beingness erstwhile fans didn’t accidental hullo — adjacent erstwhile she popped to the supermarket successful her PJs.

She said: “The kids emotion it, it’s conscionable portion of my life. It’s not similar it happened a mates of years in, truthful I’m very, precise fortunate that it’s been that way. I can’t retrieve not being recognised.

“The much section you get, they get utilized to seeing you. ‘Oh, it’s conscionable Nat successful her pyjamas again, moving astir getting her shopping’.”

Natalie revealed she inactive loves it erstwhile radical say, “Sonia, where’s your trumpet?” pursuing a storyline involving her quality learning to play the instrumentality successful the Nineties.

She said: “I inactive get that, I inactive get it each the time.

“And bash you cognize what? I get radical saying, ‘Oh does that annoy you?’.

“How tin it annoy me? It’s truthful fantastic to person an iconic moment. So no, I’m ne'er annoyed erstwhile radical accidental ‘Sonia, where’s your trumpet?’. I perfectly emotion it.”

Looking backmost connected the past 32 years, and reasoning astir her stand-out storylines and crippled twists, Natalie added: “It’s truly funny, due to the fact that determination are evident ones, similar giving commencement successful my teens, oregon my fellow Jamie dying successful infirmary connected Christmas Day, which were massive.

“But immoderate of my favourites are filming a hen enactment circular astatine Stacey Slater’s, wherever you’ve each got facemasks on, cucumbers connected your eyes . . . all the women together.

“I deliberation the amusement relies connected beardown matriarchal women and I deliberation that’s however this amusement works.

“I’m arrogant of each of it.”