Sonia Fowler’s most shocking storylines in EastEnders from teenage pregnancy to murder trial as Natalie Cassidy quits
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NATALIE Cassidy has played Sonia Fowler on EastEnders for over 30 years.
The actress made the decision to quit the long-running BBC One soap in a dramatic move.
Over the years, the 41-year-old actress has been involved in some absolutely shocking storylines.
Her life on Albert Square has been nothing but chaotic as her character became one of the most beloved in the serial drama’s history.
She has been a constant in Walford for three decades and has seen plenty of action along the way.
From a teen pregnancy in the 90s till the recent murder trial, she has been a part at some of the most surprising scenes among the history of EastEnders.
We take a look at some of Sonia’s most shocking storylines.
Teen Pregnancy
At the age of just 15-years-old, Sonia discovered that she was pregnant.
Viewers were shocked by the birth as Sonia didn’t even realise she was pregnant when she went into labour.
It turned out, thet Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou) turned out to be the father of the baby girl, who was named Chloe.
At first, Sonia decided to give her up for adoption but she later became obsessed with her daughter.
After she later abducted the baby, Sonia’s step-grandmother Dot (June Brown), persuaded her to return the baby.
After the adoptive parents of their daughter were killed in a car crash, Sonia and Martin’s lives were turned upside down.
Their deaths left them responsible to care for their young daughter Rebecca.
Jamie Mitchell death
Sonia was in a long-term relationship Jamie Mitchell (Jack Ryder) at the time of his tragic death.
But he was hit by a car driven by her baby’s father, Martin who was texting as he was driving.
Just before he was struck down by the vehicle, he bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend.
After he was rushed to hospital, the doctors told Sonia and the rest of the Mitchells that his liver was irreparably damaged.
The duo declared their love for each other one last time, just before he went into cardiac arrest.
Sonia and the rest of the Mitchells were left devastated by his bedside, just as Billy (Perry Fenwick) and Little Mo (Kacey Ainsworth) got married.
Marriage to Martin Fowler
In a shock twist Sonia went on to marry the man responsible for her previous boyfriend’s death.
However, their three-year marriage was marred by conflicts and various infidelities.
At one point, Sonia was taken hostage by the unhinged Sarah Cairns (Alison Pargeter), who became absolutely obsessed with Martin.
This was after he led her on after he flirted with her during a drunken night out.
Later, there was even more tension in their relationship as Sonia cheated on her husband.
She embarked on a lesbian affair with one of her colleagues at work, fellow nurse Naomi Julien (Petra Letang).
Martin was awarded full custody after Sonia’s earlier kidnapping attempt and extra-marital affair.
She was utterly distraught to be cut out of her daughter’s life, although they later became close as she grew up.
Bex’s Suicide Attempt
In 2019, Sonia’s daughter Rebecca (Jasmine Armfield) tried to take her own life in a heartbreaking storyline.
Viewers were left in tears after her child already went through a harrowing bullying storyline.
After she took an overdose, Sonia found Bex unconscious and unresponsive.
She was feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of going to University in Oxford and she took drugs to cope with her exams and anxiety.
The night of her leaving do, she wrote a suicide note that was addressed to her parents.
Sonia blamed herself for pushing her daughter to breaking point as she tried to force her to go to Oxford.
This is despite the fact that Bex said that she wasn’t ready to go to University, so she deferred her enrollment for a year to go travelling.
Although Sonia was unhappy with her decision at first, a handwritten letter persuades her that it was the right thing to do.
Murder Trial
Sonia and her her fiance Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) were going through severe monetary problems.
Debbie Colwell was left comatose after a stroke and they were left financially crippled as they had to pair for her care.
He also fleeced Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) in an investment scam.
But they also wanted to have a baby through IVF, so Reiss resorts to smothering her in her sleep to get her money.
Debbie’s parents Hugh and Brenda overheard Sharon and Teddy (Roland Manookian) speaking about Reiss using the money to fund the IVF.
Unfortunately for them, Brenda (Nichola McAuliffe) put her own money in Debbie’s account, meaning he stole from her and her vendetta against him was sealed.
Unfortunately, Sonia was previously in the hospital room as she liked to help with Debbie’s care.
She also thought that it would be best to sell their house and leave Walford, although she later changes her mind.
Both Sonia and Reiss were arrested for Debbie’s murder at the engagement party, but with a clear motive Sonia was charged.
Her sister Bianca (Patsy Palmer) was onto Reiss, but he manufactured a situation to kidnap her and keep her chained in a remote storage unit until the end of the trial.
Desperate to escape, Bianca comes up with an idea to record a false confession video to get Sonia off the hook.
Reiss also manipulates a juror into watching the video to come up with a verdict of ‘not guilty’.
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EastEnders continues on BBC One and is available to watch on iPlayer.