EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy says starring in weight loss DVDs was ‘not a good move’

EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has said that starring in two weight loss DVDs in 2007 and 2013 “wasn’t a good move” and that she only took part for the paycheque.

The actor, 42, best known for playing Sonia Fowler on the soap since 1993 until her departure this year, lost four stone to take part in the workout videos, Then & Now and The Perfect Ten, which earnt her £100,000.

“The DVD wasn’t a good move for me – I did it for the money,” she told Radio Times.

Cassidy reflected on that period of dieting and adhering to a strict exercise regimen, saying she “can’t be bothered” to maintain the lifestyle.

“I’m now 42, and to be honest, I could be doing a bit more exercise at the moment, but I just can’t be bothered. I think, ‘If this is the size I’m meant to be, then I need to be happy with that,’” she said.

“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. I think everything in moderation. If I go the other way and want to lose a lot of weight, my days aren’t as good.”

She added that she wanted her children to have a healthy relationship with food and exercise, adding: “There’s so much pressure with image that I just try to put it into perspective and say to them, ‘You’re so lucky to be able to see, to be able to hear.’”

“As long as you’re not abusing yourself – drinking too much, overeating, you know – whatever shape we are, we’re just very lucky to be here.”

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Cassidy previously told Grace Dent’s Comfort Eating podcast that she was offered a large sum to star in the videos, 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.’”

She added: “I got there, and as soon as that DVD came out, I ate for England. I put all the weight back on in eight weeks.”

The actor, who made her first EastEnders appearance aged 10, left the soap in April and has since ventured into podcasting with her show Life with Nat, and has a book releasing in October titled Happy Days.

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She told Radio Times that she would love to play a gritty or funny role again, but “after being Sonia for such a long time, I’m really enjoying being myself”.

Cassidy said leaving the soap was a “really natural decision to make”.

“Sometimes when you’re in something, you think that’s all there is, so when I had a break from EastEnders last year, I did The Masked Singer and a doc for Channel 4,” she said. “Unless you’re free, you’ll never know what’s out there. So I thought I’d like to say goodbye to Sonia and see what else is going on.”