EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has revealed she stepped away from acting to train as a carer, inspired by looking after her late father in his final years. The actress, best known for playing Sonia Fowler on the BBC soap, opened up about the emotional experience in her new show Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together.
Cassidy's father died in 2021. She recalled: 'The final moments were breathtakingly hard but quite incredible really. I just remember holding his hand and stroking his arm, and saying, 'It's OK, you can go now, we're all good, you've done your job.'' The 42-year-old explained that caring for her dad inspired her to retrain, saying: 'Caring for Dad right up until the end of his life, and losing him, was one of the most painful things I've ever had to do. But the people I met have changed my life and are so inspirational. That's what spurred me on to do this.'
As part of the BBC series, Cassidy returned to education for the first time since leaving school at 16 to study for a Level 3 BTEC in health and social care. Her training included placements at a care home, St John Ambulance, and a childhood diabetes unit, while she also learned about dementia, autism, and first aid. She studied alongside teenagers hoping to become paramedics and carers, and said she was amazed by the 'empathy of these 17- and 18-year-olds'.
Cassidy explained that care played a large part in her family life growing up, as her mother cared for her grandmother. When her father became seriously ill, she and her family moved into a home with an annexe so he could maintain some independence while receiving support from both Cassidy and his carer, Linda. Cassidy expressed gratitude for Linda, sharing: 'She made it possible for me to go to work. And Linda was there at the very end, the end moments of Dad's life. I couldn't have done it without her, because it's a very, very scary thing to do.'
Cassidy recently stepped away from EastEnders after more than three decades on Albert Square, a move she called 'freeing', as it has enabled her to explore new opportunities like care work and the possibility of learning stand-up comedy. Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together airs on Monday, May 25 on BBC One.
