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 BBC debut in 1993.
Sonia Fowler actress Natalie Cassidy hinted at an exit for her character[/caption] Sonia is facing a prison sentence for killing Debbie, the comatose wife of her partner Reiss – a crime he committed[/caption] The couple were pulled out of their engagement party and arrested[/caption]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.”
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.”
Viewers made their thoughts of Reiss’ deplorable actions clear, as one wrote: “Honestly kill Reiss off at this point. I can’t stand him.”
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 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.
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.
“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.
Natalie began playing Sonia in 1993[/caption]