EastEnders Natalie Cᴀssidy has opened up for the first time about her decision to leave the BBC One soap after more than three decades.

The actress, 41, who has played the role of Sonia Fowler since she was 10-years-old, will exit as part of the show’s 40th-anniversary celebrations – a decision she made last summer. 

In her first interview since announcing the news, Natalie explained that turning 42 this year made her feel it was time to ‘be brave’ and explore new opportunities. 

She told The Sun: ‘I’m 42 this year, I just feel like it’s time to be brave. You don’t want to get to 70 and think, ‘I never tried that’.’ 

Natalie also expressed her deep love for the show, saying: ‘I’ve loved this programme with all my heart. I started at ten, it’s in my bones, it’s in my heart.’ 

The decision to leave came after a heart-to-heart with EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw six months ago.

EastEnders Natalie Cᴀssidy has opened up for the first time about her decision to leave the BBC One soap after more than three decades

The actress, 41, who has played the role of Sonia Fowler since she was 10-years-old, will exit as part of the show’s 40th-anniversary celebrations – a decision she made last summer

The star said: ‘I’d been thinking about it for a little while. I had a wonderful chat with Chris back in the summer. It’s just exciting.’ 

With the anniversary episodes set to feature a dramatic explosion at the Queen Vic, rumours are circulating that Sonia could die in the blast. 

However, Natalie is keeping quiet about her character’s fate, who has recently been accused of killing Debbie Colwell. 

She admitted that, since making the decision to leave, she’s had to remind herself not to overthink what’s coming next for Sonia. 

She said the fate of Sonia is in the hands of the boss and the storyliners and she will just have to take a deep breath and let it play out. 

Natalie joined EastEnders in 1993 as part of the Jackson family, which included her on-screen sister Bianca (Patsy Palmer), brother Robbie (Dean Gaffney), and mother Carol (Lindsey Coulson). 

She left the show in 2007 but made brief returns between 2010-2011 and in 2014.

Reflecting on her early years on set, Natalie shared a memory of being given a new bomber jacket, which she had to ‘dirty up’ for school to make it look worn. 

In her first interview since announcing the news, Natalie explained that turning 42 this year made her feel it was time to ‘be brave’ and explore new opportunities (pictured 2022)

She told The Sun: ‘I’m 42 this year, I just feel like it’s time to be brave. You don’t want to get to 70 and think, ‘I never tried that” (pictured last year)

With the anniversary episodes set to feature a dramatic explosion at the Queen Vic, rumours are circulating that Sonia could die in the blast

Read More Natalie Cᴀssidy’s ‘unmissable’ EastEnders exit set to shake up Walford as the Sonia Fowler actress quits soap after 32 years

Over the years, some of the show’s biggest stars, including June Brown, Pam St. Clement, Barbara Windsor, and Leтιтia Dean, mentored her. 

But it was her close friendships with legendary actresses June (Dot Cotton) and Wendy (Pauline Fowler) that truly shaped her experience. 

She admitted that when she was 18-years-old she would have a glᴀss of red wine with June in the Ivy, when she was in her seventies, and the pair even went on holiday together. 

Though Natalie now lives with her two daughters and fiancé Marc Humphreys, she still gets recognized wherever she goes. 

She hilariously admitted that people in her local area are now used to seeing her in her pyjamas as she runs errands. 

Looking back at her 32 years on the show, Natalie highlighted some of Sonia’s biggest storylines, like giving birth as a teenager and her boyfriend Jamie dying on Christmas Day. 

But one of her favourite moments was filming the hen party scene at Stacey Slater’s house as all of the women were together and she believes the show thrives on strong, matriarchal women.