Five memorable Sonia Jackson moments as EastEnders legend Natalie Cassidy quits soap

Natalie Cassidy has reprised the relation of Sonia Jackson successful EastEnders since 1993, during which clip the quality had a teenage pregnancy, travel retired arsenic bisexual and had a crab scare

Sonia Jackson volition permission EastEnders for bully adjacent period - aft being progressive successful immoderate of the soap's astir iconic and explosive storylines successful the past 3 decades.

Natalie Cassidy, who has played the fashionable quality since 1993, said she was "extremely sad" to beryllium leaving the programme. Sonia is presently large with slayer Reiss Colwell's babe unaware helium was the 1 who bumped disconnected his ex-wife.

She was charged with the crime, but a assemblage soon recovered her not blameworthy of execution aft Reiss produced a clip of Sonia's sister Bianca confessing to the murder. It is the latest successful a drawstring of gripping plots with which Sonia has been progressive implicit the years, including tense feuds and saccharine romances.

Sonia's problematic matrimony with Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou/James Bye), ended successful 2006 erstwhile Sonia had an matter with Naomi Julien (Petra Letang). Their celebrated smooch - connected the sofa connected November 28, 2005 - sparked their fling, which gripped the federation for respective months. Here, The Mirror recalls 5 memorable moments, including storylines, Sonia enjoyed during her clip astatine Albert Square.

Teenage pregancy

Natalie started her EastEnders vocation aged conscionable 10 erstwhile the Jacksons burst onto the scene. Viewers saw Sonia, 1 of 4 children, turn up and, successful October 2000, she gave commencement to a babe she didn't cognize she was expecting.

The baby, who was named Chloe, was subsequently fixed up for adoption and renamed Rebecca, contempt protests from Martin's parent Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard). Martin was the begetter of the child.

Some years later, Sonia would yet beryllium reunited with her girl aft her adoptive parents dice successful a car crash. When Martin and Pauline visited Rebecca, past successful the attraction of her adoptive maternal grandmother, it enactment further strain connected Martin and Sonia's rocky relationship.

Affair with Naomi Julien

Soon unhappy with Martin, Sonia recovered solace with chap nurse, Naomi. Their buss connected November 28, 2005 led to the fling, a storyline wide praised successful the media.

It was short-lived, however, as, erstwhile Margaret died, Rebecca went into Martin's attraction and Pauline tried to halt Sonia having immoderate interaction with her daughter. This made Sonia distraught and preoccupied with Rebecca. Feeling neglected, Naomi ended their relationship.

Speaking successful 2010, Natalie said the matter was the "wrong thing" for her quality and a catalyst for her to determine to permission the soap successful 2007. This explosive exit storyline had millions gripped arsenic it progressive the demise of 1 of the drama's astir long-serving characters.

Pauline's death

Wendy near EastEnders connected Christmas Day 2006, having been successful the soap since the archetypal occurrence successful 1985. After the find of Pauline's assemblage successful the snowfall successful Albert Square, Sonia wrongly thought she'd caused the matriarch's death.

By this stage, Martin and Sonia had got divorced - and regretted it. Pauline told Martin she was dying from a encephalon tumour to halt him moving backmost successful with Sonia but her lad went to unrecorded with her anyway. During an ensuing enactment betwixt Pauline and her daughter-in-law, Sonia slapped her - witnessed by Rebecca - and the matriarch aboriginal died.

Sonia was arrested connected a execution charge; however, that aforesaid nighttime Dot uncovered the individuality of Pauline's existent murderer — Pauline's hubby Joe Macer (Ray Brooks). He had argued with Pauline connected Christmas Day and struck her implicit the head, causing her death. Sonia was released and decided to permission Walford - with Martin - for Manchester.

Cancer scare

Sonia returned successful 2010 concisely and again successful 2014. It was during this stint the nurse, who by present had travel retired arsenic bisexual, discovered a lump connected her breast. Her mum, Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson), was diagnosed with bosom crab the erstwhile year.

Sonia was fixed the all-clear aft having her bosom checked but the storyline saw the quality conflict with her emotions. It enactment strain connected her narration with Tina Carter, which had already faced adversity owed to Sonia's past with Martin.

But Sonia and Tina overcame the struggles and Sonia yet helped her spouse by looking aft her ailing parent Sylvie Carter (Linda Marlowe) and ended up becoming her full-time carer.

Rebecca's overdose

In caller years, a almighty storyline saw Sonia dismayed erstwhile she recovered her daughter, known successful the Square arsenic Bex, had tried to instrumentality her ain life. Sonia discovered Bex, past 19, unresponsive successful furniture and recovered retired she had taken an overdose.

Sonia blamed herself and past Martin for being absent, astatine times, successful the teenager's life. However, Bex, past played by Jasmine Armfield, had been struggling for immoderate time, she told her mother, and had antecedently taken pills successful an attempty to header with exam stress. Bex near successful March 2020, having deferred her spot astatine University of Oxford for 1 twelvemonth truthful she could spell travelling.