EastEnders' Natalie Cassidy opens up on why she left soap after 32 years
The Sonia Fowler actor is set to depart in the near future.
2025 has not been short of high profile cast exits on EastEnders so far – and one of the biggest upcoming departures is that of Sonia star Natalie Cassidy, who is set to leave the soap after 32 years.
Cassidy announced her intention to leave back in January of this year, sharing a statement in which she said she had "decided it’s time to move on to pastures new".
And now she has revealed a little more information about her decision, telling Bella Magazine that she was "ready for a change, after 32 years".
She explained: "I adore EastEnders but you can’t do everything. EastEnders is a factory with 60 cast members and 300 staff.
"They can’t cater for someone who says 'By the way, I need two months off to do this, I need another three months off to do this'. It’s not fair."
Sonia recently survived the disaster of the 40th anniversary Queen Vic explosion and safely gave birth to baby Julia – but she lost her killer fiancé, Reiss Colwell, and beloved ex-husband, Martin Fowler, in the process.
It's not yet clear exactly what events on the show will lead to the character's departure, but we can look forward to finding out in the upcoming weeks.
At the time of Cassidy's initial announcement, executive producer, Chris Clenshaw said: "Over the last 31 years in EastEnders, Natalie has been involved in some of the show’s most iconic and explosive storylines. Her portrayal of Sonia has made her a firm fan favourite amongst the viewers."
Read more:
- EastEnders airs distressing police cliffhanger for Avani Nandra-Hart in early iPlayer release
- EastEnders airs powerful Phil Mitchell episode with important message in moving iPlayer release
- EastEnders guest star Keith Allen reveals he nearly played major role alongside Danny Dyer
- EastEnders favourite addresses plans for future on soap – says she's "never going to stop"
- EastEnders at 40: Best ever scandals from Pat and Frank to Sharongate
- EastEnders at 40: Best ever villains from Nick Cotton to Nish Panesar
- EastEnders at 40: Best ever whodunnits – From who shot Phil to who killed Archie?
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
Visit our dedicated Soaps page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
