The end of an era is approaching and while Natalie Cassidy has accepted that it's time, she knows her character Sonia Fowler will never really leave her.
The actress announced her departure from EastEnders earlier this year, leaving fans of the soap in shock.
It came after Sonia was at the centre of a huge storyline that saw her sent to prison for a murder she didn’t commit, before discovering that fiancé Reiss Colwell was the true culprit and had been holding sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) hostage for months.
As if that wasn't drama enough, during the 40th anniversary live episode, Sonia gave birth to their daughter Julia just moments after his death.
Desperate for some closure over the incident, Bianca stunned Sonia last week when she sold her story to a journalist. The interview then went viral, with teenagers flooding onto Albert Square to get a glimpse of Reiss’ victims.
‘What’s happened with Reiss has been shocking, and Sonia’s tried to face it and move on, but it’s not going away,’ Natalie said in a recent interview with Metro.
‘So, she’s at a crossroads in her life, but being at a crossroads with a newborn baby is really hard.'
Nat teased: ‘Sometimes, when big life events happen, you find that someone might pop out of the woodwork to open your eyes and change your life. That’s what happens to Sonia this week…’
On her forthcoming exit, she continued: ‘It felt very final but also very good. It’s a nice place to leave Sonia after so much has happened to her.
‘Sonia feels like she’s never going to live down what happened with Reiss, so the only thing to do is leave the Square.
‘I’m never going to say goodbye to her because, after 32 years, Sonia is ingrained in me! So, while I’m saying goodbye on screen, for now, Sonia is always there, knocking about!’
This article originally appeared on Metro.co.uk
