Natalie Cassidy, well known for playing Sonia Fowler in EastEnders, has opened up on a family decision she was faced with this week as her daughter Eliza sits her exams

Natalie Cassidy has opened up about a family decision(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes)

EastEnders legend Natalie Cassidy has shared her insights saying “it never stops” as she reflects on a family choice she faced this week. Natalie became a beloved soapstar playing Sonia Fowler for over three decades.

She quit the soap earlier this year, 11 years after returning to the role. Natalie said she wanted to spend more time with her family, fiance Marc Humphreys and daughters Eliza, 15, and eight-year-old Joanie.

In her column in The I, Natalie, age 42, opened up about how her daughter Eliza, who is 15, has been grappling with school exams all week. With changed perspectives since a year ago, the star explains she would have previously not allowed a day off for her niece’s baby celebration, but now sees things differently.

She explained: “A year ago, I wouldn’t have allowed her to have a day out for her auntie’s baby celebration. She has revised a lot this week and she is doing her best. Could she have spent more time revising? Yes, she absolutely could have. Would it have been good for her happiness? No.”

Natalie says she is a “firm believer in hard work,” having joined EastEnders when she was just 10 years old, but admits teenagers need a bit of downtime. She added: “You have to pick your battles – I don’t want my children to be stressed. Teenagers have so much to deal with in 2025 that I would really prefer not to add to it.”

EastEnders icon Natalie Cassidy(Image: Simon Ackerman, WireImagevia Getty Images)

The television favourite has come to terms with the fleeting nature of youth, advising that it should be savoured. She highlights that soon enough, the young will have to grapple with the financial and personal demands of grown-up life, remarking: “It never stops.”

Natalie became a familiar face on EastEnders in 1993, dedicating 14 years to the BBC soap. After stepping away in 2007, she made a comeback for another lengthy run starting in 2014.

She has previously mentioned that her exit from the show opens up opportunities for more presenting gigs. Since leaving Albert Square, she’s even penned a book.

(Image: Instagram)

While Natalie holds EastEnders dear, she acknowledges that with a large ensemble of 60 actors and a support team of 300, it’s impossible for producers to accommodate everyone’s external ventures. In a conversation with Bella magazine, she explained: “I left because I felt the time was right to do so. I was ready for a change, after 32 years.

“And EastEnders is a factory with 60 cast members and 300 staff so they can’t cater for someone who says, ‘By the way, I need two months off to do this, another three months off to do this’. It’s not fair.”

She added: “It had to be a clean break so I could focus on other projects and spend time with my family, which I haven’t been doing in recent months.”

During a conversation on the Monday Mile podcast with Aimee Fuller, Natalie revealed she hopes to take on more presenting work as well as branching out into different types of roles. She said: “I love acting but I do really like just being myself, I think possibly more so than the acting.

“I did Motherland a little while ago, which was fantastic, and I do love comedy so I would like to do more comedy at some point.”