Natalie Cassidy has said that she has yet to miss the workload that comes with working on EastEnders following the filming of her final scenes.
The actress, who has portrayed Sonia Fowler on and off for 32 years, made the decision to leave the BBC One soap after its 40th anniversary, in which she played a key role.
Sonia, as viewers know, was pregnant with killer Reiss Colwell’s (Jonny Freeman) baby and, following the explosion at the Queen Vic, she welcomed Julia into the world.
Reiss was killed during the chaos, with Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) – who had been held captive by the villain for months – unknowingly pushing him into the pathway of a falling bathtub.
It was confirmed in January, just weeks before the milestone anniversary week, that Natalie would be leaving the show.
‘After another 11 solid years back on The Square, I have decided it’s time to move on to pastures new,’ she said in a statement at the time. ‘EastEnders is in my bones so I will never forget where I started my career and I will continue to love the show.’
The soap legend wrapped filming earlier this month and noted that she hadn’t yet shed a tear.
Discussing what life has been like without Walford, the 41-year-old said that it’s ‘nice’ to feel a little bit different from Sonia after playing her for so long.
‘The burden of learning lines every night has gone at the moment, which is a really lovely thing,’ she said on her podcast Off The Telly. ‘I feel like I’ve got the evenings back, so that is really nice.’
Natalie was quick to add that it’s still ‘early days’ and that she’s sure she’ll ‘miss it in a while’.
‘But you always miss the people, you miss your friends, don’t you?,’ she said. ‘But I have to say I’m not missing the work.’
It’s currently unknown as to how exactly Sonia will leave but one thing is for sure – her departure will mark the end of an era for the long-running soap.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or stream first from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
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