Natalie Cassidy left Walford last year for pastures new and as the mum-of-two confesses, has something very different she wants to get her teeth stuck into
Natalie Cassidy was a mainstay on our TV screens as Sonia Fowler in EastEnders for over 30 years, until she left the soap last February, in what she called a ‘freeing’ move, to pursue new projects.
One of them could be a brand-new career in stand-up comedy, as she has revealed that what she’d love more than anything else is “5 minutes of stand-up at a pub”.
The 42-year-old said, “I find it absolutely fascinating that idea of standing on stage on your own – and your job is to make people laugh”.
Speaking to comic Rebecca Maree during a live podcast, part of the latter’s new In Conversation shows, the soap icon said the idea delights and terrifies her in equal measure.
“I’d shi** my pants. But I’d love to do five minutes in a pub. I would. My style would probably very anecdotal – probably funny stories about my kids, that would be my thing.
“I would love to be in Motherland, it’s just hilarious – I was a guest star, actually, in Series 3. Or a real old-school sitcom, like Gimme, Gimme, Gimme or Friday Night Dinner.
“Sitcoms are my thing, and I do think they’re making a comeback. I would love to be a part of them for the first time.”
Whatever the future holds, down-to-earth Natalie will be fondly remembered by thousands for playing Sonia on Albert Square, who evolved from a trumpet-playing teen mum to one of the more mature, if meddlesome, middle-aged residents of Walford.
Looking back, she says Sonia’s shocking birth scene aged just 15 to a little girl, Chloe – fathered by Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou), will forever be her most iconic.
“It has to be Sonia giving birth on a sofa. But Sonia was in labour and didn’t even know she was pregnant. And what I’ve since realised is, that actually happens a lot in life. More than you’d think.
“People just come up to me you know and say, ‘I did a Sonia!” and tell me their birth stories.”
She’ll also never forget working with late, great stars such as June Brown, Peggy Mitchell and Wendy Richard, she told Australian-born, London-based funnywoman Maree.
“They were all just brilliant. . I look back now and realise, you don’t know what you’ve got. I was really good friends with those people. They’re not with us anymore, but I was so honoured to have had their advice, their care, share laughs with them. They were great memories.”
The star has diversified over the years. During a break from EastEnders between 2007 and 2014., she took part in Celebrity Big Brother in 2012, alongside late American actor Michael Madsen and X Factor star, Frankie Cocozza.
She didn’t last long and clearly didn’t love the experience, as she blasts some stars’ huge egos. “It’s like being in the jungle – what a hoo ha that was, eh?! You do just chat shi* and forget you’re on the telly.
“But I was very lucky. I went in, got dyed blue, had some boiled eggs and came out early. There are a lot of people who have egos so big.
“I’ve been in this industry for over 30 years, but I’ve never changed. I have no ego. So, it blows my mind that you meet people who think they’re better than others. We’re just trying to entertain.. We’re not arduous workers. We’re not NHS workers. We’re not carers. I’m like, “Chill the f*** out.”
The biggest advice she’d give her younger self, she said, is ‘don’t trust everybody. Don’t be so kind. A lot of people have maybe taken me for granted, because I am a nice person. I’m happy to say that now.”
Natalie has two daughters, Eliza, 16, with ex-partner Adam Cottrell, and Joanie, 9, with her fiancé, cameraman Marc Humphreys. And she said she fears for the world we now live in, especially for her teenager.
“When I was young, I’d go down the canal, drink a bottle of white lightning beer – it didn’t go any further. We had no photos. It’s a scary world now, literally everything is documented.”
“If you go to a party now, it’s unfair on the young people. If someone’s boob pops out, at school the next day, it goes all round. I worry for Eliza – for our teens, now. As much as social media’s a huge problem, having the phones out and capturing everything is a bigger problem.
“And there’s lots of hate, lots of comparing yourself to others. My favourite saying has always been, ‘What people think of you is none of your business’.”
The proud mum, who hosts her own weekly podcast, Life With Nat, is also the first to admit that being a parent is no easy ride.
She said, “Being a mum’s probably been my biggest challenge. It’s realising that your life is not your own, because it isn’t, and that is a huge thing to undertake.
“I think people really underestimate parenting. I absolutely love it. But it’s hard work, I’m not afraid to say that.”
Credit MUST RUN: Rebecca Maree hosts her In Conversation podcast with various famous faces monthly. For more see @rebeccamaree_inconversation.
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