Natalie Cassidy has spoken out about her forthcoming exit from EastEnders.
The actress announced her departure earlier this year, leaving fans of the show in shock.
It came after Sonia Fowler was at the centre of a huge storyline that saw her sent to prison for a murder she didn’t commit, before discovering that fiancé Reiss Colwell was the true culprit and had been holding sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) hostage for months.
During the 40th anniversary live episode, Sonia gave birth to their daughter Julia just moments after his death.
Desperate for some closure over the incident, Bianca stunned Sonia last week when she sold her story to a journalist.
The interview then went viral, with teenagers flooding onto Albert Square to get a glimpse of Reiss’ victims.
‘What’s happened with Reiss has been shocking, and Sonia’s tried to face it and move on, but it’s not going away’ Natalie told us.
‘So, she’s at a crossroads in her life, but being at a crossroads with a newborn baby is really hard.
‘Her dream of having a perfect little family hasn’t happened, and I think in the back of her head, she feels like she needs a fresh start.’
Coming to the conclusion that her sister’s actions were unforgivable, Sonia told Bianca that they were finished – and no longer siblings.
‘She’s very, very hurt because she asked Bianca not to do it, and she went ahead and did it anyway’ Natalie explains.
‘Sonia is going through all that frustration and exasperation, but she will never hate her sister. She just thinks, “Why couldn’t you have just listened to me and done the right thing because now look what’s happened!”‘
To make matters worse, in scenes that air this week, Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) and Mo Harris (Laila Morse) begin to cash in on Sonia’s misfortune.
Crowds of true-crime fans begin to gather outside the house, and one has a particular interest in Sonia. He then requests a one-on-one chat with her, but who is he?
Nat teased: ‘Sometimes, when big life events happen, you find that someone might pop out of the woodwork to open your eyes and change your life. That’s what happens to Sonia this week…’
On her forthcoming exit, she continued: ‘It felt very final but also very good. It’s a nice place to leave Sonia after so much has happened to her.
‘Sonia feels like she’s never going to live down what happened with Reiss, so the only thing to do is leave the Square.
‘I’m never going to say goodbye to her because, after 32 years, Sonia is ingrained in me!
‘So, while I’m saying goodbye on screen, for now, Sonia is always there, knocking about!’
