Soap icon Natalie Cassidy took to Instagram to share an outstanding throwback. The actress, 41, shared an image of her during her first few days on EastEnders.
Natalie took on the role of Sonia in 1993, aged just 10 and left a lasting impression on people with her trumpet playing. She has been a mainstay on the BBC soap ever since. Now, in a joint post with the official EastEnders social media account, Natalie can be seen posing next to the famous railings in Albert Square aged around 14.
The account captioned the upload of an image taken in 1997: “How time flies when you’re having fun! #EastEnders #ThrowbackTuesday.” It was met with a whole host of positive comments as well as messages saying they were sad she is set to leave the show.
One user wrote: “Super photo of a very young looking Natalie Cassidy,” while another added: “Aww bless adorable young Sonia. loving your new programme Nat.”
Meanwhile, co-star Clair Norris, who plays the role of Bernadette Taylor, simply shared a number of emojis. Among them was teary faces and red love heart emojis.
The upload comes as Sonia prepares to exit Walford for the third time. Fans think they spotted exactly how she will leave after a clue on Tuesday’s episode. On Monday night, fans saw the arrival of Sonia’s father Terry Cant.
Sonia’s sister Bianca, played by Patsy Palmer who is currently in the Celebrity Big Brother house, spotted him following Sonia around the Square and warned him to stay away. However, when he arrived at Sonia’s door she wanted to give him a chance.
In Tuesday’s episode, Terry confirmed he had been living in Bali. By the end of the episode, he had persuaded Sonia to come with him when he goes back in 48 hours. Although the episode ended on a cliffhanger, fans were left convinced this is how Natalie Cassidy will be saying goodbye to the soap this time around.
She had previously revealed she made the decision to quit after the show’s 40th anniversary celebrations. Now, Natalie she is set to embark on a different career path, moving towards comedy.
This summer, Natalie will be appearing as a special guest at Pappy’s Flatshare Slamdown, a popular live comedy gig in London. She will joined the live show for a number of appearances.
Podcast hosts Matthew Crosby, Ben Clark and Tom Parry will be joined on stage by the iconic soap star and comedian Leah Davis during their live show on May 27, at The Phoenix Pub in Cavendish Square – with tickets already on sale.
On Instagram, the podcast announced Natalie’s introduction. They wrote: “PAPPY’S FLATSHARE SLAMDOWN, is back at the Phoenix Pub for TWO live shows on May 27th and June 2nd!”
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