Actress Natalie Cassidy is to leave EastEnders, more than three decades after her first appearance on the soap as Sonia Fowler. In a statement the 41-year-old said she was "extremely sad" but also "very excited" to be moving on.

Natalie Cassidy is quitting her role as Sonia Jackson on BBC soap EastEnders after 32 years of playing the iconic Walford character - and will be giving up a reported huge salary

EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy is to leave the BBC soap after more than 30 years playing Sonia Fowler. The 41-year-old said she was “extremely sad” but “very excited” to be leaving, with the BBC confirming her final scenes would take place around the series 40th anniversary week beginning February 17.

EastEnders legend Natalie Cassidy is set to leave the soap, but the actress who plays Sonia Fowler has also led an interesting personal life - here we take a look at her family and relationships

EastEnders fans are fearing the worst after it was confirmed that Sonia Fowler actress Natalie Cassidy had quit her role after more than 30 years on the BBC soap

Some of Sonia’s biggest storylines include her being bullied by her friend Clare Bates (Gemma Bissix) after she fell in with the wrong crowd at school, and her teenage pregnancy with later-husband Martin Fowler (Jon Peyton-Price/James Alexandrou).

EastEnders Natalie Cassidy revealed this week she has quit the soap - and fans are certain it's not going to end well for her character Sonia Fowler

In an August 2022 episode of the Comfort Eating with Grace Dent podcast, Natalie shared her experience: "I was very overweight and they approached me and said 'Listen, we're going to give you £100,000, we're going to get you really fit and you're going to lose four stone'."

EastEnders' Sonia has been a staple in Walford since 1993 - but fans fear a heartbreaking twist is on the cards