EastEnders' Natalie Cassidy's family tragedy inspired 'exciting' career move
Natalie Cassidy spend three decades playing Sonia Jackson on EastEnders, but the star has now announced a new career move after quitting the popular BBC soap
EastEnders legend Natalie Cassidy is "really excited" for a career move that she says is inspired by her late father, Charles. It comes just months after the star quit her job on the BBC soap.
Natalie's father died in 2021, but she previously revealed she likes to keep his memory alive. The soapstar admits she keeps his ashes on a windowsill and "talks" to him everyday.
Natalie's relationship with her father deepened when he moved in with her in his later years. She has now announced she is preparing to work on a new BBC project examining social care.
Speaking candidly on her Off The Telly podcast, Natalie enthused: "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."
In addition to venturing into uncharted territory, Natalie unveiled that she will take exams as part of her venture, reports Plymouth Live. 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.
In a candid chat with OK! magazine in 2023, Natalie shared: "My dad was with us because his health started to deteriorate and I didn't want him to be living on his own any more. I decided to bite the bullet and find somewhere with an annexe, so that dad was still with us, but could also be independent and have his own space."
As her father Charles faced an array of health issues in his later years, Natalie felt a deep intuition about his impending passing. The family subsequently transformed Charles's room into a recreational area, featuring games and toys for the children—a comforting tribute that continues to honour his memory as "grandad's" room.
Off-screen, Natalie's life is far from quiet; amidst the buzz of new projects, she was thrilled to announce her forthcoming book last month. Titled Happy Days, it promises readers an intimate look at her journey juggling motherhood with her multifaceted career.
Natalie opened up about her career aspirations on the Monday Mile podcast with Aimee Fuller, expressing a growing passion for presenting and comedy. Reflecting on her experiences with shows such as Would I Lie to You? and Motherland.
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."
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