By Liam de Brun

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Former EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has revealed that a late soap legend was her ‘oldest friend’ in a ‘freeing’ admission. The Sonia Fowler actress left the BBC series earlier in the year after playing the character on and off for more than 30 years. Viewers saw Sonia leave Albert Square for Bali alongside her sister Bianca Jackson and daughters Bex and Hope Fowler. Sonia’s exit arrived after she learned her dad Terry Cant had sinister motivations just days after meeting him for the first time in her life. Looking back on her time working in Walford, Natalie said that she enjoyed working with many of the older actresses on the soap. The 42-year-old highlighted that she always connected with ‘the elders’ naming her late co-stars Barbara Windsor and June Brown as influences. Speaking to Prima magazine, she said: “Obviously the elders, because I am an old soul. “I always connected with Wendy Richards and Barbara Windsor, and I would say that June Brown was my dearest, oldest friend.” Carry On actress Barbara is best known for playing the role of Queen Vic owner Peggy Mitchell between 1994 and 2016. Sadly, Barbara passed away in 2020, aged 83, after living with Alzheimer’s since 2014, leaving soap fans around the world devastated. Natalie shared many scenes with Dot Cotton actress June Brown, who was associated with EastEnders since its first episode in 1985. June passed away at the age of 95 in 2022, having made her last appearance on the soap just two years before her death. Wendy Richards, the other actress Natalie commended, died in 2009, three years after saying goodbye to the role of Sonia’s mother-in-law Pauline Fowler. Meanwhile, Natalie stated that while she would not be averse to returning for guest appearances in the soap, she has enjoyed reinventing herself. She explained: “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 told the magazine. “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.” Natalie added: “I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but I think turning 40 is a milestone. I think you know who you are, you know who your friends are, and where you are in life. And for me, having been in this business for such a long time, I just needed to be free and be open to everything else. “EastEnders is a brilliant job, but when you’re there, you’re chained. You know where you are and what you’re doing. But you haven’t got any time to plan anything else, so it does take over your whole life.” While EastEnders will ‘always hold a special place’ in her heart, Natalie stated it was ‘freeing leaving’ the programme.