There was heartbreak across the nation when undisputed EastEnders legend Sonia Fowler, played by Natalie Cassidy, bowed out of Walford this year. First appearing all the way back in 1993, Sonia grew up before EastEnders’ audiences eyes, becoming one of the most iconic soap characters of all time.
Natalie opened up recently on how different her life has been since leaving the soap, telling Prima magazine: ‘It’s been freeing leaving EastEnders. I feel liberated and just happy.’
She further elaborated on her new opportunity to cultivate a more glam appearance, having always held back due to wanting to portray Sonia accurately.
‘Sonia isn’t the most glamorous of characters, bless her, but I wanted to stay true to her character, so I never got extensions put in, or dyed my hair.
‘She was just a worker who didn’t have a lot of money and worked for the NHS. But coming away, and breaking free, I just thought, ‘I want to be glam. I want to wear coloured nails. And just feel like me.
‘I do feel like my face has changed a little since leaving EastEnders, because I was quite sad and depressed when I was playing Sonia, or angry all the time.
‘So I feel like my frown lines have sort of faded away, which is quite nice.’
Son’, as all soap characters do, had a particularly tumultuous time of it in Albert Square. After dealing with school bullying, she had a one night stand with Martin Fowler (then played by James Alexandrou) and went into shock labour, despite having no knowledge of her pregnancy. Though she initially decided to give the baby up for adoption, she later kidnapped her child, with fellow Walford icon Dot Cotton (June Brown) persuading her to return the baby.
She later lost the love of her life, Jamie Mitchell (Jack Ryder), before reconciling with and marrying the man who ran him down, baby daddy Martin.
Their marriage was fractious, at best, with Sonia being kidnapped crazed stalker, Sarah Cairns (Alison Pargeter), constantly clashing with Martin’s meddling mother, Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) and beginning an affair with her colleague, Naomi Julien (Petra Letang) and establishing her bisexuality.
She was later arrested for Pauline’s murder, though was released when the true culprit, Joe Macer (Ray Brooks) was unveiled, with Sonia and Martin reunited, along with their daughter, and leaving the Square for a new life in Manchester.
Sonia made a brief return in 2010, where it became abundantly clear that she and Martin weren’t in a good place, before returning to the Square permanently in 2014, learning she has the BRCA gene after her mum, Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson) is diagnosed with breast cancer.
She later suffered following a gastric band operation in Bulgaria, before dealing with daughter Bex’ (Jasmine Armfield) mental health crisis after facing some particularly vicious school bullying, culminating in a tragic suicide attempt.
Her final big story arc prior to her departure found her engaged to unhinged killer Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman), who allowed her to take the fall for the murder of his own wife, Debbie.
When Sonia’s sister, Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), discovered the truth, Reiss imprisoned her in a storage lock up.
Reiss became the first victim of the epic ‘Enders 40th anniversary stunt, of which he was the catalyst, when he was crushed by a bathtub in the blazing Queen Vic pub, as Sonia herself gave birth.
Though the Reiss incident had blown Sonia and Bianca apart, the re-emergence of her estranged-father, Terry Cant (Glen Davies), reunited the sisters.
Though Terry flashed cash, inviting Sonia and her kids to travel with him to Bali, his true colours emerged when he attacked Bianca. With Sonia seeing through his façade, she turned her back on him, instead leaving Walford alongside Bianca, Bex and baby Julia, with a final blast of her trademark trumpet.
Will we ever see Sonia come home? Potentially, says Natalie: ‘Albert Square will always hold a place in my heart, and I love it there.
‘There could be a storyline where I come back for a week – those things are great. But it took up a lot of time. I used to be learning lines in the evening, and that’s gone now. And then I’d be up at six in the morning.
‘You’re not a scaffolder or a heart surgeon, but it did take a long time, whereas now, my evenings are free, unless I’m recording a podcast at home.’
Will we ever see Sonia again?
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Of course we will!
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Nah, she's gone for good!
Natalie had previously told Metro upon her exit: ‘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!’
‘You never know what is going to happen with Sonia and Bianca, maybe they’ll turn up in the Square in ten years’ time dripping in diamonds!’
When asked about her fondest memories of being apart of the show, she said: ‘I haven’t got a fondest memory because my whole time being here is a fond memory.
‘EastEnders is a lovely place to work, and I’ve never had a bad moment, so I look back at it with great gratitude and joy.’