‘EastEnders’ Natalie Cassidy: ‘I was naive about gay storyline’

EastEnders

actress Natalie Cassidy has admitted that she was “a little bit naive” about Sonia’s previous gay storyline.

The actress – who returned to the BBC soap earlier this year – cited Sonia’s lesbian relationship with Naomi in 2005 as one of the reasons for leaving the show.

Sonia is currently involved in a new lesbian storyline with Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White).

Speaking about the plot on BBC Breakfast this morning (May 2), Cassidy said: “I don’t know where it’s going to go, but at the time it felt right for Sonia to do that. Sonia’s dabbled with women before in the past.

“When I was younger actually – I think it was a little bit naive, but when I was 21, 22, I was a bit like, ‘Oh Sonia wouldn’t do that, Sonia wouldn’t do that’. As an actress and as the character I thought, ‘Well actually, I’m not sure if Sonia would do this’.

“Now, funnily enough, lovely Dominic [Treadwell-Collins] has invited me back – the exec producer of the show – and really it’s lovely, because I’ve had that past and I’ve got that background, so that’s why this works.”

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 in January as part of her onscreen mother Carol Jackson’s (Lindsey Coulson) breast cancer storyline.

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