EastEnders’ Natalie Cassidy announces ‘exciting’ career move spurred by family tragedy
Natalie Cassidy spent three decades playing Sonia Jackson on EastEnders, but has now announced a new project away from the popular BBC soap after making her exit
The soapstar’s dad died in 2021 but Natalie has previously revealed she still likes to keep his memory alive. Natalie says she keeps his ashes on her windowsill and “talks” to her dad everyday.
Natalie’s bond with her dad grew as he moved in with the star towards the end of his life. Natalie has now announced she is preparing to work on a new BBC project examining social care.
Speaking on her Off The Telly podcast, Natalie explained: “I’ve got a really exciting new project that is happening. I am, for the BBC, going back to school. I’m going back to college and I’m studying social care, from the early years right up to palliative care.
“I’m going to be on placements, looking at different things, we’ve not started the filming yet, so the structure is still being done, but fingers crossed, this time next year it’ll be on the telly. It was quite a passion project because I cared for my dad.
“I cared for him right up until the end of his life and I’ve always wanted to do more about elderly care. This course incorporates a lot of elderly care, but also other care as well throughout life.”
Natalie revealed she will have to sit exams as part of the project. And while the project is still in its early stages, she is “really excited” by it, adding: “It’s a very loose idea at the moment but it is definitely happening.”
The star, who recently left EastEnders after 30 years as Sonia Jackson, wants to explore why people get into the care sector as well as learning how different facilities work. Natalie originally moved her dad into the home she shares with partner Marc Humphreys and her two children because she worried about him living alone.
Towards the end of his life, Charles began suffering multiple medical problems, leading Natalie to fear the worst. She says she had a “gut feeling” about when he was going to die.
The family decided to turn Charles’s room into a games room, complete with a pool table and children’s toys. Natalie explained her daughters referred to it as “grandad’s” room, something which brought her comfort as she dealt with the loss.
Meanwhile post-EastEnders life has been bustling for Natalie with several new ventures. The star excitedly broke the news last month about her upcoming book, Happy Days, which is set to give readers a glimpse into her experience balancing life as a mother.
On the Monday Mile podcast with Olympian Aimee Fuller, Natalie discussed her interest in taking up more presenting roles. Having enjoyed appearances on shows like Would I Lie to You?, she confessed her enjoyment of comedy.
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.”
