ender the road?
EastEnders legend sparks exit fears as she drops clue amid prison plot
Could a long-term EastEnders character be on their way out of the soap?
EASTENDERS star Natalie Cassidy hinted at a possible departure following Sonia Fowler's shock arrest.
Natalie, 41, has played Sonia on and off since her debut in 1993.
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In Thursday's (August 22) episode of the BBC soap, the nurse was charged with murdering Debbie (Jenny Meier).
Asked whether Sonia could be spared from a prison stint and exit, Natalie teasingly replied: "Who knows? But she’s got a lot of champions there on the Square...”
The actress further described the situation to press as her character's "worst nightmare come true."
Natalie added: "She absolutely cannot believe it, especially when Reiss has been let off because he has an alibi.”
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Viewers know Reiss (Jonny Freeman), Sonia's partner, killed his comatose wife Debbie in cold blood to eliminate her costly care home bills.
The murderer sunk even further by letting his pregnant fiancee take the fall for his crime.
Natalie elaborated: “To the point where she’s going to go down for it, and he doesn’t say, ‘This was me, I did this.’
“You are like, ‘Oh my god, he’s a psycho.’ It’s really shocking and dark; I look forward to seeing what happens next.”
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Viewers made their thoughts of Reiss' deplorable actions clear, as one wrote: "Honestly kill Reiss off at this point. I can't stand him."
EastEnders' Sonia Fowler gets bombshell from the police - but fans are distracted by her solicitor
Another added: "Reiss keeps saying he’s going to do everything he can to get innocent, pregnant Sonia out of prison. but I’m yet to see him admit to murder so she can be free."
A third chimed in: "The Sonia/Reiss/Debbie storyline is p***ing me offffff. How can Sonia still defend Reiss? He has lied since day 1, why can’t she see he may be lying about killing Debbie."
As a fourth commented: "Getting fed up of Reiss."
Last month, it was reported Natalie would leave the BBC soap for a short spell to film a new project for Channel 4.
She is fronting a four-part series titled What’s The Big Deal?, focusing on current trending consumer products.
Sonia Fowler’s biggest EastEnders storylines
Sonia Fowler has featured in EastEnders since 1993, and after starring in thousands of episodes, has been featured in storylines ranging from teenage pregnancy to a cancer scare. Here are some of her biggest.
- Teen Pregnancy and Birth of Chloe Jackson (1999-2000)
Sonia discovered she was pregnant at the age of 15. Viewers were shocked by the sudden birth, as the teen went into labour without even realising she was pregnant. Martin Fowler turned out to be Chloe's father. Sonia initially decided to give the girl up for adoption. - Death of her boyfriend (2002)
Sonia's boyfriend, Jamie Mitchell, was hit by a car driven by her baby's father. Jamie had just bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend before being struck down by the thoughtless Martin, who was texting while driving. Although the Jamie was rushed to hospital, docs said his liver was irreparably damaged, and he ended up dying with Sonia by his side. - Marriage to Martin Fowler and Family Tensions (2004-2007)
In a shock twist Sonia went on to marry the man responsible for her previous boyfriend's death. Their relationship was marred by conflicts and infidelity, and they went on to split up after just three years. At one point in their marriage Sonia was taken hostage by Sarah Cairns, who became obsessed with Martin after he flirted with her during a drunken night out. The couple went through struggles again when the adoptive parents of their daughter were killed in a car crash, leaving them responsible for Rebecca. Because of the tension in their relationship Sonia ended up cheating on her husband with one of her co-workers, nurse Naomi Julien. - Custody Battle for Rebecca (2005-2007)
Baby Chloe, who was renamed Rebecca, was kidnapped by her mum early in life before being returned to her adoptive parents. After Neil and Sue Miller died they awarded Martin full custody of the child because of Sonia's extra-marital affair. The mum was left distraught to be cut out of her daughter's life. - Gastric Band Surgery and Weight Struggles (2014-2015)
Sonia became insecure about her weight and arranged to have a secret gastric band surgery in Bulgaria. She later collapsed at an exercise class after suffering complications from the operation. - Discovery of Bex's Suicide Attempt (2019)
Sonia's daughter Rebecca tried to take her own life in a heartbreaking storyline which left viewers in tears. She found Bex unconscious after taking an overdose, and was devastated. Sonia blamed herself for pushing her daughter to breaking point, as she had tried to force her into going to Oxford despite Bex saying she didn't feel ready for university.
A source said of her hiatus: “Natalie will be taking a short break, just like many of her co-stars do when they have another project
“Bosses always try to let stars spread their wings and if they can make it work with the often punish-ing soap schedule, then they’ll do it.
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“Natalie’s really excited to tackle the project for Channel 4. This is another string to her bow.”
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
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