Natalie Cassidy reveals the surprising ‘normal’ job she was tempted to apply for after leaving EastEnders

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Natalie Cassidy shared that she was considering a surprising career path after finishing her role on EastEnders earlier in 2023.

The 42-year-old actress, famous for her 32-year role as Sonia Fowler on the BBC soap opera, has left the show.

Now that Natalie has more free time and the opportunity to explore different projects, she’s shared that she even thought about applying for a typical nine-to-five job.

She recently shared that she considered applying for a job as a cashier at Marks & Spencer.

The bubbly star said she loved the idea of getting to chat to customers all day on the job.

Natalie told The Mirror she’s even considered working a Sunday afternoon shift at the checkout counter at Marks & Spencer.

That sounds fantastic! I’d prefer to stay until number 13 – it’s my lucky number. I’m really interested, but I don’t think it’s something we can accomplish in just one day.

‘I love M&S. If I wasn’t doing this acting I’d be working in Marks probably.’ 

Natalie has had two of her new shows axed within six months of leaving the soap.

According to The Sun, Channel 4 probably won’t order another season of her consumer show, ‘What’s The Big Deal?’, because it didn’t attract a large enough audience.

Natalie has faced another setback, as her podcast with Joanna Page, known for Gavin & Stacey, has also been cancelled.

She admitted the show’s cancellation wasn’t received well and doesn’t believe it will be renewed. There are currently no discussions about bringing it back.

‘But I loved it and it was a great experience for me to do.’

After leaving EastEnders, her first major project was the BBC podcast Off The Telly, but it was ultimately cancelled by executives.

While promoting her new book, Happy Days, at a literary festival in Somerset, Natalie revealed to her audience that the BBC had initially hesitated about it.

She said: ‘We had a laugh doing it and it is a shame the pod ended. I don’t think it will be back.’

You know, I was chatting with Natalie recently, and she shared something really relatable. After being on EastEnders for so many years, she said leaving actually felt incredibly freeing! She even mentioned it had a visible effect on her – she feels like her face has changed, and honestly, that makes so much sense. Letting go of something that big can really transform you, inside and out.

She told Prima: ‘It was amazing when I got to reinvent myself after leaving EastEnders.

Sonia isn’t known for being particularly glamorous, and I wanted to respect that in my portrayal, so I avoided things like hair extensions or dye jobs.

‘She was just a worker who didn’t have a lot of money and worked for the NHS.

Once I left that situation and gained my independence, I realized I wanted to express myself and feel confident. I wanted to have fun with things like colorful nail polish and just be true to who I am.

I think my appearance has shifted a bit since I finished on EastEnders. Playing Sonia meant I was often portraying sadness, depression, or anger, and that definitely affected me.

‘So I feel like my frown lines have sort of faded away, which is quite nice!’

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2025-12-27 04:33