EastEnders’ Natalie Cassidy reveals co-star Steve McFadden refused to talk to her after she quit the soap
EASTENDERS’ Natalie Cassidy has revealed co-star Steve McFadden refused speak to her after she quit the soap. The actress appeared on Secrets with the Square last night to discuss her time on the show and her most memorable storylines involving her character Sonia Fowler. Natalie, 37, who has played the nurse since 1993, recalled the […]
EASTENDERS’ Natalie Cassidy has revealed co-star Steve McFadden refused speak to her after she quit the soap.
The actress appeared on Secrets with the Square last night to discuss her time on the show and her most memorable storylines involving her character Sonia Fowler.
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Natalie, 37, who has played the nurse since 1993, recalled the time she decided to leave the show and Phil Mitchell star Steve McFadden, 61, was so disappointed that he didn’t talk to her.
After telling him she wanted to leave, Steve tried to talk her out of it: “When I was thinking of leaving when I was 18, I remember sitting down with him. He said ‘listen, you don’t know what you’ve got here, you don’t want to go anywhere, there’s nothing better than this, trust me.'”
However, Natalie still had a meeting with the boss and explained that she wanted to quit and told Steve: “I came back and said ‘Steve, Steve, I done it.’ He said ‘what have you done’ and I said ‘I’m leaving.’ He wouldn’t talk to me.”
She continued: “And when he says this story he still gets annoyed now, he says ‘She just never listened to me, she completely ignored my advice’. He was right.”
The actress revealed she would like to see her character pair up with Walford’s resident bad boy.
Natalie surprising response was: “Yeah I mean it’s a strange one, but I’m going to say it, I would have loved Sonia and Phil to get together.”
Presenter Stacey Dooley, 33, chuckled before Natalie continued: “No, no I’m being serious because it’s all for selfish reasons, but I love working with Steve.”
“You’ve got to up your game, and he’s such a nice guy to work with. He always helped me from a very young age.”
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Natalie also revealed on the show that she once shared a naked hot tub session with Dot Cotton star June Brown on holiday.
June, 93, and Natalie, 37, stripped off and jumped in a whirlpool bath during a trip abroad.
Natalie says: “We went to Malta once and we were naked in the hot tub together.
“We would go to nightclubs. She was very lively and still is.”
June quit the soap earlier this year after playing the legendary Dot Cotton for 35 years and revealed earlier this year she would not be returning to the soap.