Natalie Cassidy has spoken candidly about the challenges of leaving EastEnders after more than three decades, describing the step as 'really hard' and admitting she occasionally feels like an outsider in the entertainment industry.
The actress, who played Sonia Fowler on the BBC soap from 1993 until her departure in April 2025, discussed her transition away from Albert Square during an appearance on Kate Thornton's White Wine Question Time podcast.
A Rare Success Story Beyond the Soap
Thornton noted that few actors manage to build a career after leaving a long-running soap role, telling Cassidy: 'Look, you know, not a lot of people leave Albert Square in the back of a cab and are not ever heard of again, right? Not so much you, my friend.'
She praised Cassidy for being 'one of the handful that have managed to go on and scale new heights outside of what should have been a role that defined you and stopped you working elsewhere because 30 years, I mean, I'm amazed you wake up even knowing who you are, not thinking that you're Sonia,' as reported by the Daily Star.
Conscious Effort to Avoid Typecasting
Cassidy, now 43, admitted she feels proud of how she has navigated life after the soap, but acknowledged the difficulty of leaving behind such an iconic character. 'I know. I feel really proud actually, Kate, because you're right. It's really hard to come out of a soap after all those years and listen, I think the big thing is I've always not minded being myself,' she said.
Throughout her tenure as Sonia, Cassidy made a deliberate choice to remain visible beyond the character, appearing on quiz shows and giving interviews. 'So throughout all the years of playing Sonia, I've always done a quiz show or I like being interviewed,' she explained.
Thornton praised Cassidy for never hiding behind Sonia, to which Cassidy replied: 'No, and a lot of actors do.' She added: 'Absolutely right. But there are lots and lots of actors who, that's why they act. They want to hide behind something, you know. And I often think because I fell into it and it was, you know, I was in the right place at the right time in 93. I was 10, like you said. And I fell into the role of Sonia, but I've kept it.'
Feelings of Not Belonging
Despite her success, Cassidy revealed that she still sometimes feels like an outsider in the industry. 'And that is talent and being on time and professionalism and all of that. But I also always look around this industry and go, I don't really belong here,' she said.
When Thornton asked if she was waiting for 'the tap on the shoulder', Cassidy clarified that her feelings were not due to a lack of confidence. 'No, it's not a kind of, I don't feel that I'm not good enough to be here. I just find that there's a lot of people with a lot of egos and I could have easily just worked in a shop,' she stated.
Life After Albert Square
Cassidy made her EastEnders debut as Sonia Fowler in 1993, having first appeared professionally as a child in a stage production of The Beggar's Opera. She became one of the soap's most recognisable faces, playing Sonia on and off for more than 30 years before leaving in April 2025.
Since her departure, Cassidy has remained active, hosting her podcast Life with Nat and featuring in the BBC documentary series Natalie Cassidy: Learning to Care, where she trained to become a carer.
