‘EastEnders’ Natalie Cassidy for new lesbian storyline

EastEnders

star Natalie Cassidy is set for a new lesbian storyline – despite blaming a similar plot for her original exit from the show in 2007.

Viewers have seen Cassidy’s character Sonia grow close to gay girl Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) since her return to Albert Square earlier this year, and in scenes to air next week the pair will share a kiss – even though Sonia is still married to Martin Fowler.

The storyline is set to go ahead despite previous comments by Cassidy in which she partly blamed Sonia’s lesbian relationship with nurse Naomi Julien (Petra Letang) for her original exit from the soap in 2007.

The actress said soon afterwards: “One of the reasons I left was the storyline. I felt it wasn’t right for Sonia. Sometimes people are so keen to get a shocking story the character gets forgotten.”

However, in a recent interview with Inside Soap magazine, Cassidy spoke more positively about Sonia exploring her sexuality.

“Sonia’s had a relationship with a woman before,” Cassidy said. “But it’s not about lesbianism or Sonia being gay, and there is actually a scene where she tells Bianca [Jackson] that she doesn’t want to put a label on who she is. Sonia’s quite modern in that sense, so in layman’s terms we can call her bisexual!”

Cassidy originally played the character of Sonia Fowler between 1993 and 2007, before returning for guest appearances in 2010 and 2011. The actress returned to the soap full-time earlier this year as part of her onscreen mother Carol Jackson’s (Lindsey Coulson) breast cancer storyline.

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