'I want to be glam.I want to wear coloured nails. And just feel like me

EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy, who played Sonia Jackson for 32 years, says she's "reinvented" herself after leaving the soap

- JANINE YAQOOB

Natalie Cassidy is embracing her freedom after 32 years playing EastEnders favourite Sonia Jackson. The former soap star says she feels liberated after “breaking free” from the iconic role she stepped into as a 10-year-old girl. For Natalie, the changes have been so huge that not only does she feel different, she looks different too.

“It was amazing when I got to reinvent myself after leaving EastEnders,” she explains. “Sonia isn't the most glamorous of characters, bless her, but I wanted to stay true to her character, so I never got extensions put in, or dyed my hair.

“She was just a worker who didn't have a lot of money and worked for the NHS. But coming away, and breaking free, I just thought, ‘I want to be glam. I want to wear coloured nails. And just feel like me.’

“I do feel like my face has changed a little since leaving EastEnders, because I was quite sad and depressed when I was playing Sonia, or angry all the time. So I feel like my frown lines have sort of faded away, which is quite nice!”