No.1 for Interviews - Natalie Cassidy
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Having been in the limelight for over 14 years as EastEnders’ Sonia Fowler, actress Natalie Cassidy has been hitting the headlines recently for all the wrong reasons...
Natalie Cassidy is best known for playing the role of Sonia Fowler in EastEnders and has even won two British Soap Awards – Best Actress in 2001 and Best Dramatic performance from a young actor or actress in 2004 for her work. Since leaving EastEnders, Natalie has worked extensively in theatre appearing in UK tours of the Vagina Monologues, Bedroom Farce and Gertrude’s Secret. She has also completed a run of The Cherry Orchard at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
At the end of 2007 Natalie underwent a major fitness regime resulting in a drastically slimmed down figure and launched a much publicised fitness DVD, called Natalie Cassidy’s Then and Now Workout, which became the fastest-selling weight-loss DVD ever in the UK. At the start of 2008 she appeared in the documentary Natalie Cassidy’s Diet Secrets for BBC 3. She also appeared on the panel of the discussion series The Wright Stuff on Five. Towards the end of 2008 Natalie piled the weight back on and her personal trainer remarked publicly that Natalie had “slipped back into her old habits” and that she was “really disappointed.” Last month Natalie sensationally revealed that she actually used laxatives to help her lose the weight. The confession attracted widespread criticism as she had initially attributed her new look to exercise and healthy eating. Last month, a tabloid paper revealed that Natalie called off her engagement to her fiancé Ben Porter, and had reportedly moved in with John Burns, who was the widower of Wendy Richard, (Pauline Fowler) who died in February after losing her fight against cancer. Natalie has denied they are romantically involved.
So Natalie, why are you venturing north of the border?
I’m here to support CHAS who are doing a LifeCycle – a charity cycle from John O’Groats to Robin House Hospice in Balloch. I flew up from London to see all the great work everyone is doing, I love coming up to Scotland so I really don’t mind. My brother works for Barclays bank, he is a Managing Director and he is involved with the bike ride for charity so a few weeks ago he mentioned he was coming up to Scotland and asked me to come along. I said I would love to as obviously there are kids involved. They are raising a hell of a lot of money which is great!
What are you working on at the moment career wise?
I am really just doing bits and pieces at the moment it is all very quiet on the work front – there isn’t a lot of money in the industry in the moment. I am doing a lot of voiceover work and have a cameo in a comedy for BBC 2 called Psychoville written by The League of Gentleman boys. I don a fat suit and get strung up upside down – it is very dark.
That’s a bit different to EastEnders.
It is totally different let’s put it that way. I have lots of things in the pipeline, which sounds really fake but I do but I can’t talk about them at the moment.
Do you ever miss EastEnders?
I always miss it but I have been gone for two and a half years now. I was in EastEnders for 14 years – I was there longer than half my life, it is a huge part of who I am. I still keep in touch with the rest of the cast, I don’t miss the work but I miss the people.
I actually went to Malta with June Brown (Dot Cotton) for a little holiday – we were eating our breakfast in the hot tub! It is crazy she is 82 and has more energy than me!
Where are you at personally – do you think you will settle down anytime soon?
I am not really wanting to talk about my personal life to be honest.
Media wise how does it feel growing up in the spotlight – how do you think the media impacts on young girls?
Once again I would rather talk about the charity. I think the media is not entirely at fault – it is a representation of us as a culture. We as a society are too focused on body image. We buy magazines and we seem to be really interested in all the body image stuff so that’s why the magazines feed it to us. It is a reflection of the time we are living in. Hopefully people will get really bored of it and think about more worthwhile things.
Do you have any advice to young girls who read these magazines?
I love magazines – I buy them. I am in the public eye so I don’t get sucked in. I look at fashion pages, I read about Peter and Jordan. I am on the front of them most weeks so I buy them to read what they are saying about me. But a lot of it is rubbish. Take it with a pinch of salt.
Would you say that what they write about you has an impact on how you view yourself?
No I don’t let it. I am just a normal girl with a good job who is really fortunate. I just care about my friends and family.
How would you describe your style? Do you like fashion?
If I am at an event I will wear jeans and a blazer, or I will put on a dress with trainers like Lily Allen. I try to keep it simple though. I love clothes and bags they are my weakness. I love my Marc Jacobs handbag.
Biggest frustration?
People that don’t say please and thank you is probably my biggest frustration. I absolutely can’t stand rudeness there is no need for it – it costs nothing to be polite. Journalists really piss me off as well. I’m joking!
When are you happiest?
When I am watching Ricky Gervais! My ideal day would be Sunday brunch followed by a pint of cider and then followed by a pub quiz and then maybe follow that with a gig.
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