EastEnders' Sonia Fowler's real life from celeb feuds to Bake Off star daughter
Even by Walford standards, EastEnders' Sonia Fowler has led a remarkably eventful life, and yet actor Natalie Cassidy could still give her a run for her money when it comes to drama.
This week, soap watchers have seen Sonia reeling after discovering her fake dad Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley) was responsible for starting the fire at Kathy's Café, declaring him to be a 'filthy arsonist'. She did however reluctantly allow him to sleep under her roof after Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) quite understandably gave him the boot.
As Sonia seethes over Rocky's criminal activities, we take a look at actor Natalie's interesting life away from the square, from her various feuds with fellow celebs to her hopes for her two young daughters.
Celeb feuds
Natalie took aim at Nicola's post-partum weight loss (Instagram/ @natcass1)
Nicola and Natalie have since made amends (Getty Images)Islington-born Natalie's heated feud with former Page 3 model Nicola McLean began back in 2010, after she took aim at Nicola's rapid baby weight loss following the birth of her second son Striker. In her New! magazine column, Natalie, 40, accused Nicola, 42, of setting impossible standards for other mums, and remarked that she shouldn't have felt in such a rush to shed the pounds.
As previously reported by the Mirror, Nicola and Natalie are understood to have had words at a party some weeks later, with Nicola informing the soap star that she suffered from an eating disorder. A spokesperson revealed at the time: "They met at an event shortly afterwards, but after a bit of a chat, they kissed and made up."
EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness
In a follow-up column, entitled 'Coming McLean', Natalie wrote: "Nicola McLean reacted badly to my comments about her weight last week on Twitter, saying I shouldn't judge her because I've had weight battles, too. I appreciate her view, but if she's giving interviews about starving herself, she has to expect people to comment.
"People say good and bad things about me and it can be upsetting, but if you put yourself out there you have to deal with it. I wasn't a mum when I was dieting unhealthily and I didn't speak about my problems until I'd dealt with them. But maybe Nicola felt talking about her eating disorder would help her. We're all different. I genuinely hope she's okay."
Two years later, in 2012, the pair patched things up while appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, and ended up becoming good friends during their time in the house. Reflecting on their 'beef' in 2022 in an interview with the Daily Star, Nicola declared she didn't hold a grudge, adding that the magazine probably made Natalie give such a critical take. Heaping praise on Natalie, Nicola said: "She's literally one of the funniest people I've ever met. She didn't get a good edit on Big Brother. She should have won it. Honestly, her comic timing is unbelievable. She was one of my favourites in there. I was devastated when she got booted out too."
Natalie took issue with Denise's approach to parenting (CAMERA PRESS/Ricky Swift)
A few months later, Denise fired back with some criticisms of her own (Getty Images)Natalie was also previously embroiled in a high-profile feud with Denise Van Outen, which began when she blasted the TV presenter for returning to work shortly after giving birth to daughter Betsy in 2010. Mere days after Denise, now 49, announced she would be hiring a full-time nanny for Betsy so she could return to the West End, Natalie made her thoughts known on the matter, stating: "Denise went back to work after two weeks because she said she needed to feel normal again. I just think, what have you had a child for? Having a child should be your job."
Although Denise didn't respond straight away, she couldn't keep quiet any longer when, in November of that same year, Natalie made an appearance on ITV's Lorraine six weeks after welcoming daughter Eliza. While bottle-feeding her newborn, Natalie opened up to Lorraine Kelly about motherhood while promoting her reality TV show, Natalie Cassidy: Becoming Mum. The E4 show centred around Natalie becoming a mum, following her through her pregnancy journey, birth, and early days of parenthood.
Having apparently tuned into the interview, seething Denise tweeted: "Natalie criticised me for going back to work after having Betsy. Natalie's on the Lorraine show promoting her reality pregnancy/new mum show. Isn't that work???? She said she did the show for money, so yes, that is work. Pot calling!!!!" Referring to Natalie's famously musical EastEnders' character, Denise added: "She can stick her trumpet where the sun don't shine... hee hee!!!"
A few days later, Natalie attempted to diffuse the tense situation during an interview with New! magazine, claiming that she simply had 'old-fashioned' views of motherhood. Natalie explained: "I haven't been criticising anyone. It's up to each woman if she wants to go back to work - it's a personal decision. But I'm old-fashioned. I couldn't do a job that required me to be away from my baby all day. It's not me. My reality show has been filmed and I went on Lorraine Kelly's show with my baby."
Bake Off star daughter
Proud mum Natalie kept Eliza's Bake Off appearance a secret (Instagram)
Natalie has previously expressed reservations about her daughters following her into the world of showbiz (Instagram/@natcass1)Although Natalie has previously expressed hesitations about her children following her into the world of showbiz, eldest daughter Eliza appears to have developed a taste for it. In January 2022, Natalie stunned fans by sharing a throwback pic of budding baker Eliza posing with a whisk and certificate, revealing that she'd made a secret appearance on Junior Bake Off.
Proud mum Natalie wrote: "This is Eliza. She was 10 and decided to enter for the Junior Bake Off. I said, oh Eliza, you'll never get through, thousands apply and I don't want you to be disappointed. She got through. And her confidence, determination, and maturity has blown me away. I am proud of my daughters every day. But to watch one of them be so kind and helpful to others in the tent every night this week has made me the proudest mum alive.
"I haven't said much about it- Nothing to do with me whatsoever. This was her adventure. Thank you @britishbakeoff for having her and looking after her so well throughout the process. My advice to all. When your child wants to do something don't stop them. Dreams do come true."
EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy shows off grey hair and says 'it doesn't matter'
Natalie has previously found herself locked in bitter feuds with fellow celebs (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)Natalie shares now 13-year-old daughter Eliza with ex-partner Adam Cottrell and also has a seven-year-old daughter named Joanie with fiancé Marc Humphreys. Although Natalie has enjoyed enormous success as a soap star, having made her first appearance in EastEnders at the age of just 10 years old, she has previously mentioned that she would prefer to steer her children away from the world of acting.
In a 2015 interview with the Mirror, when Eliza was still just four years old, Natalie reflected: "I wouldn't want her to do it because I don't know what it’s like to not be recognised. It's not a bad thing, because I’m so used to it, but I'd like her to retain her anonymity. I think it's important. I'd like her to have that for her life, really. I don't want her to have what I've had. As soap stars, we're statistically the most famous people in Britain. Bigger than Brad Pitt because you might watch one film a month but we're there four times a week. I don't think I've ever been on holiday and not been recognised."
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