The former EastEnders actress has taken on a new role, saying “I’ve loved every minute”
Natalie Cassidy left EastEnders last year after 32 years (Image: BBC / Jack Barnes)
BBC viewers have been left sobbing after watching an EastEnders star’s new show.
Former Sonia Fowler actress Natalie Cassidy has taken on a new role and retrained after caring for her dying father.
The soap star previously opened up about the “breathtakingly hard” final moments of his life, but explained how she was left so inspired looking after him that she has now trained as a carer.
In a new BBC programme, Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together, the actress shines a light on Britain’s struggling care system, and focusing on topics like autism, first aid, dementia, childhood diabetes, and working in placements in a care home and St John Ambulance after returning to school to get a Level 3 BTEC in health and social care.
Viewers were left in tears by the eye-opening programme, with a clip recently shared on social media.
One person wrote: “Fantastic series showing the very important things that all carers and health care professionals have to deal with day in and day out! Good luck to everyone involved. I hope all the students who were in the series get the jobs they want to do! Well done @natcass1.”
Another said: “Just finished watching this. Loved it. Congratulations @natcass1.”
A third wrote: “I cried every day watching this series. It was so beautifully done with amazing respect and understanding for everyone on the show.”
Someone else added: “This has been a most wonderful programme x I can’t wait to hear if you passed x I’m sure you did x the episode about dementia [was] invaluable as my husband was diagnosed with vascular dementia recently x I’ve kept that episode.”
Another wrote: “Loved this series. @natcass1 was so honest about her own life and the job.”
Speaking in the programme, Natalie remarked how much she had loved her training, saying: “This course has been fantastic. The people I’ve met, the placements I’ve been on. I would like to continue this care journey.
“I feel like I’ve scratched the surface. I’ve loved it. I’ve loved every minute of it.”
“Caring for Dad right up until the end of his life, and losing him, was one of the most painful things I’ve ever had to do,” Natalie previously told the BBC.
“But the people I met have changed my life and are so inspirational. That’s what spurred me on to do this.”
“I’ve only ever had one job, but I’ve always wondered what I would have done if I wasn’t an actress,” she added.
Natalie’s father died in April 2021, and she went on to say that filming elements of Caring Together did make her miss him, adding: “Grief never stops – you don’t grieve for someone and then it’s over. It just changes.
“You change as a person – it shapes who you are, it shapes how you look at the world. You just get better at coping with it.”
Natalie left EastEnders last year after 32 years, saying that it was time to move on and adding: “EastEnders is in my bones so I will never forget where I started my career and I will continue to love the show.”
She later explained she was “ready for a change”, telling Bella Magazine: “I adore EastEnders but you can’t do everything. EastEnders is a factory with 60 cast members and 300 staff.
“They can’t cater for someone who says, ‘By the way, I need two months off to do this, I need another three months off to do this’. It’s not fair.”
Executive producer Chris Clenshaw had also said, at the time of Natalie’s announcement: “Over the last 31 years in EastEnders, Natalie has been involved in some of the show’s most iconic and explosive storylines. Her portrayal of Sonia has made her a firm fan favourite amongst the viewers.”
Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.