14 of Sonia Fowler's biggest and best EastEnders moments: From surprise birth to live monologue

She's not perfect and has made her fair share of mistakes; but when it counts, Son' has a wise head on her shoulders, and it's hard to imagine Albert Square without her presence.

But the countdown to her exit has begun, and all we can do now is wait and see how she waves goodbye.

In the meantime, enjoy a trip down memory lane as we reminisce about the life and times of Sonia Fowler.

14 of Sonia Fowler's biggest and best EastEnders moments

1. Sonia's trumpet

Since childhood, Sonia's trumpet has been a running gag that's stuck with the character and has cropped up several times over the years.

It's fair to say that Sonia's love of the instrument wasn't shared by those around her - mostly because, bless her heart, she wasn't always very good at playing it!

But whenever we think of Sonia, we'll always remember her trumpet, so it simply had to make our list.

2. Jamie Mitchell defends Sonia's honour

Jamie (Jack Ryder) jumped to Sonia's defence from an immature Martin Fowler (then played by James Alexandrou), who was making cruel comments about her.

Jamie insisted that nobody would ever compare to Sonia, and she was so stunned to witness this that she dropped the chips she had just bought! With that, Sonia and Jamie were united, and sealed their relationship with a kiss.

A classic moment of pure romance.

3. Surprise baby

Despite Martin's nasty treatment of Sonia, months earlier he showed her some kindness in private, and the pair had a one-night-stand.

What Sonia didn't know was that she had fallen pregnant, and one day while on a date with Jamie, she suffered agonising pain.

Mo Harris (Laila Morse) heard Sonia's cries from next door, and was on hand to play midwife as Sonia gave birth to a baby girl.

In shock, Sonia begged for the child to be sent away, although she did name the little one Chloe before she was adopted.

4. Kidnap drama

Struggling with guilt over her decision not to keep Chloe, Sonia kidnapped her. Sonia's daughter had been re-named Rebecca by her adoptive parents, who were desperate to have her back.

It was Sonia's step-grandmother Dot Branning (June Brown) who stepped in to make Sonia see sense - although Son' didn't relent until after she had ridiculed Dot's Christian beliefs and thrown her bible across the room!

One of the most memorable scenes from star Cassidy, who would go on to break our hearts once more just a few months later...

5. The loss of Jamie

Just as Jamie planned to give Sonia an engagement ring, he was mowed down by Martin, who was driving while disqualified and while using his phone.

Jamie woke up in hospital and claimed that he didn't blame Martin, but Sonia and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) learned that Jamie had extensive liver damage and would die from his injuries.

In a poignant Christmas Day instalment, Sonia and Jamie made promises to each other as she lay beside him in his hospital bed.

Jamie passed away shortly after, leaving Sonia heartbroken.

6. Showdown with stalker Sarah Cairns

Sonia found love again with Martin, who had finally grown up, and the pair got married. But their wedded bliss was shattered when Martin woke up in bed with a woman called Sarah (Alison Pargeter) after a night of drinking.

Believing he had cheated on Sonia, Martin was horrified when Sarah befriended Sonia and refused to stay away. The situation came to a shocking head when Sarah admitted to Sonia that Martin had not had sex with her after all.

Realising she couldn't have Martin, Sarah went to stab Sonia, but it was Martin who sustained an injury when he tried to protect his wife.

Sonia hit Sarah with Pauline's fruit bowl, and Sarah was taken for treatment in a mental health facility.

Martin and Sonia would encounter many other hurdles in their marriage, including Sonia's affair with colleague Naomi Julien (Petra Letang).

But Son's eventual reunion with Martin was marred by a certain spiky matriarch...

7. Sonia vs Pauline Fowler

On Christmas Day 2006, a row erupted between Sonia and mother-in-law Pauline (Wendy Richard), who had become bitter and had fallen out with Martin.

Sonia urged Pauline to make amends, but Pauline resented Sonia's modern attitude to life and savagely insulted Sonia, until the latter snapped, slapping Pauline so hard that she fell to the floor!

Pauline later collapsed and died outside in the snow, with Sonia accused of her murder. But Pauline's second husband, Joe Macer (Ray Brooks) was the culprit, having struck Pauline over the head with a frying pan!

8. Happily ever after

Having got custody of Rebecca (later known as Bex) and been cleared over Pauline's death, Sonia decided to make a fresh start elsewhere. Her taxi out of Walford was blocked by a determined Martin and Rebecca, who revealed they were coming with her.

Sonia was overwhelmed, and a beaming Rebecca sat between her parents as they shared a kiss before heading off into the sunset as a family.

A truly heartwarming exit.

9. Trying to seduce Phil Mitchell

Feeling low about her marriage woes, Sonia returned to Walford alone to attend sister Bianca's (Patsy Palmer) wedding in 2010. She got very drunk and ended up telling Phil off over his treatment of Jamie.

When Phil told Sonia to go upstairs and sober up, Sonia misunderstood and waited for Phil in his bed, naked!

Needless to say, all hell broke loose when Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) walked in and thought the worst of a stunned Phil!

10. Sonia and Sharon Watts's catfight

In a row with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) over Louise Mitchell's (Tilly Keeper) bullying of Sonia's daughter Bex (Jasmine Armfield), Sonia was pushed to her limit when Sharon suggested that Sonia had abandoned Bex when she moved away.

Sonia reacted by pushing Sharon into a hook-a-duck pool, leaving Sharon drenched and furious!

Sonia was as shocked as Sharon at the turn of events, but it was a firm reminder not to mess with her!

11. Sonia saves Ben Mitchell's life

A siege in The Queen Vic at the hands of Hunter Owen (Charlie Winter) led to Ben (Max Bowden) being shot, and nurse Sonia was forced to take action.

As Phil and Callum Highway (Tony Clay) watched on, Ben's lungs began to collapse, and Sonia used what was to hand and managed to save Ben's life under severe pressure.

12. Dot Branning's eulogy

Taking inspiration from a tape made by Dot, Sonia read the eulogy at her funeral. She spoke of feeling Dot's love, and ended the speech by declaring: "Goodbye, Dot. I love you!"

Sonia went on to inherit Dot's house, as well as some of Dot's traits as the character people turned to in a crisis.

Unfortunately, Sonia also inherited a relative of Dot's who turned her life upside down, but that's another story...

13. Sonia confronts killer Reiss Colwell

Fresh from a prison stint for the murder of Debbie (Jenny Meier), Sonia was horror-struck when she realised that her own partner, Debbie's widower Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman), was the real killer.

A showdown ensued as Sonia was trapped by Reiss, before Bianca escaped from captivity just in time to smash Reiss over the head with Dot's teapot!

Sonia's iconic reaction was to utter the words: "Dot always said a pot of tea makes everything better!"

14. Baby Julia is born in EastEnders' live episode

Cassidy had the task of acting out Sonia's birth scenes during a tense live edition of EastEnders to coincide with the show's 40th anniversary.

With Reiss dead after a bathtub fell on him in the wreckage of the Queen Vic, Sonia was trapped with Bianca and their cousin Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) when she realised she was in labour.

Sonia delivered baby girl Julia, and the actress gave a moving monologue to end the episode, with the untimely death of Martin (as played by James Bye) playing out at the same time.

A masterclass moment.

Read more:

• EastEnders airs surprise cameo as Sonia Fowler bids fond farewell
• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
• 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.

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