Natalie Cassidy no longer feels pressure to obsess over dieting
In an interview about her up-and-down figure, former EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy declared she no longer feels pressure to obsess over dieting.
Natalie Cassidy no longer feels pressure to obsess over dieting.
The 42-year-old actress, whose full name is Natalie Ann Cassidy, first joined BBC soap EastEnders aged 10 in 1993 as Sonia Fowler, and became famed for releasing a fitness DVD and changing her physique.
But she has now told The Radio Times about how she is now instead focused on her family, writing and new television projects after stepping away from acting: “I think, ‘If this is the size I’m meant to be, I need to be happy with that’.
“I don’t overeat. I enjoy my food. I like a glass of wine, I like a packet of crisps, but you can’t do it every day. Everything in moderation.
“If I go the other way and want to lose a lot of weight, my days aren’t as good. I could be doing a bit more exercise at the moment, but I can’t be bothered.”
Natalie has spoken openly about her weight throughout her career.
In 2007 she released the fitness DVD Then And Now, for which she lost four stone, later admitting she regained the weight within weeks.
She was reportedly paid £100,000 for the project, later saying: “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’.
“I was like, ‘Happy days’. I just thought, ‘That’s a lot of money’, but it wasn’t the right thing to do.”
Natalie’s EastEnders role made her one of Albert Square’s most recognisable figures.
After three separate stints on the soap spanning more than three decades, her final episodes aired earlier this year following her decision to quit the show in 2024.
Natalie later appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009, partnered with Vincent Simone, and said she was left feeling fat-shamed when asked to lift him.
She recalled: “I was about four stone bigger than I am now, Vincenzo was quite little. I think about it now and think, ‘Oh, that was out of order. You couldn’t do that now’.”
Natalie’s personal life has also played a part in her change of outlook. She met EastEnders cameraman Marc Humphreys in 2014, became engaged the following year and welcomed daughter Joanie, now eight, in 2016.
She also has a 15-year-old daughter, Eliza, from a previous relationship with transport manager Adam Cottrell.
Natalie has also launched her podcast Life With Nat, has written an autobiography titled Happy Days and is currently appearing on ITV1’s Cooking With The Stars.
She said: “I love food, I love cooking and going for meals. Cooking for people and watching them enjoy what you’ve cooked, it brings me joy. It’s the heart of family and friendship.”
