Natalie Cassidy says EastEnders took a toll on her looks; face changed after leaving BBC soap

Natalie Cassidy says EastEnders took a toll on her looks, noting that her face has changed since she left the BBC soap. Cassidy, who played Sonia Fowler from 1993 until this year, left EastEnders after nearly 32 years on the Square. Her final episode aired in April, and since that exit she has explored a more glamorous personal style after years spent in character-specific scrubs.

Speaking to Prima, Cassidy described reinvention as liberating. 'It was amazing when I got to reinvent myself after leaving EastEnders. Sonia isn’t the most glamorous of characters, bless her, but I wanted to stay true to her, so I never got extensions put in, or dyed my hair.' She added that she feels her face has changed since leaving because she was quite sad and depressed while playing Sonia, or angry all the time, and that frown lines have sort of faded away.

She framed the move as a milestone: turning 40, knowing who she is, and recognizing that a long time in the industry can crowd life with work and obligations. 'EastEnders is a brilliant job, but when you’re there, you’re chained,' she said, noting the regular paycheck comes with constraints. 'I just needed to be brave, and I needed to break free from that to sit and go, What else is going to come?'

In the spring finale, Sonia’s exit from Albert Square drew tears from fans, amid broader Walford upheaval as families said goodbye. Cassidy’s sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and daughters Bex (Jasmine Armfield) and baby Julia have also headed to Bali, part of the on-screen farewell arc that marked the end of an era for many in the community.

Since leaving EastEnders, Cassidy has kept busy with a string of projects outside the soap. She hosts the podcast Life with Nat and the TV chat show Off the Telly with Joanna Page. On screen, she has appeared on The Masked Singer as Bush, taken part in Cooking with the Stars, and is slated to appear in Natalie Cassidy Learning to Care. Her post-Enders career also includes prior TV and stage work, illustrating a broad shift from a long-running soap star to a diversified media presence.

The interview appears in the November 2025 issue of Prima, which is now on sale, highlighting Cassidy’s path from a decades-long top-tier soap role to new opportunities and a reimagined public persona.