Natalie Cassidy Stirs Controversy with Paloma Faith Over School Bullying Claims Linked to EastEnders Fame

Natalie Cassidy has reignited her row with Paloma Faith as she doubled down on claims she was bullied at school.

The EastEnders star, 42, shocked fans in June when she spilled on her tough school days, claiming that her famous classmate Paloma had bullied her.

But in a twist to the tale, Paloma insisted that she was bullied in comments about her own torment at school which emerged just days later. 

Now, Natalie has reiterated her claims of being picked on as she revealed kids at her school were ‘jealous’ of her role on EastEnders – which she was cast in at the age of just 10.

Appearing on Katherine Ryan’s What’s My Age Again podcast on Tuesday, Natalie shared how her favourite place to be was on the EastEnders set because being at school was so challenging due to the jealousy from her peers. She did not directly mention Paloma.

Natalie said: ‘There wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to be. That was my happy place. Maybe because when I wasn’t there, school was difficult, people were jealous. 

‘You know, there was bullying that went on. So I always just wanted to be there because it was so fun and I was surrounded by nice people.’

Natalie and singer Paloma, 43, both attended Islington Green School, with Paloma in the year above Natalie. 

The stars are both from around the same area, with Natalie born in Islington and Paloma raised in Hackney. 

Islington Green, which has since been renamed the City of London Academy Islington, has a famous history after its choir landed the job of singing the iconic Pink Floyd line ‘we don’t need no education’ on 1979 hit The Wall.

Fast forward two decades and the school was once again in the headlines when in 1995 Tony Blair rejected the local comprehensive for his son Euan, who instead received his secondary education at London Oratory in Hammersmith. 

Two years later, after Blair was elected Prime Minister, the school was placed in special measures. 

Natalie thought back to her school days on her podcast Life With Nat when her bad experience with Paloma came up. 

She claimed: ‘Paloma Faith, she bullied me at school. She went to Islington Green and was in the year above me. 

‘We’ve spoken about it and she has said sorry about that. Gutted.’

In a twist to the tale, Paloma’s comments about her own torment at school later emerged.

Writing in a 2012 tweet, Paloma insisted her school days were far from easy, claiming: ‘Yes I got bullied at school. I had braces and before that, wonky teeth.’ 

Paloma, who has a degree in contemporary dance and once worked as a magician’s assistant, has previously called Islington Green ‘very, very rough,’ adding that ‘the police were there every day; there was a lot of violence.’

But in spite of classmate Natalie’s comments and her bullying, Paloma has called herself ‘a pacifist,’ explaining how her school’s ‘tough environment helped me develop a strong sense of self. I had to learn to stick to my guns and be stubborn.’ 

Natalie has played Sonia on and off since 1993 but exited the soap in April as part of the 40th-anniversary celebrations.

Episodes showed Sonia choosing to leave Walford for a new life in Bali with her sister Bianca and daughters Bex and Julia. 

Announcing the news ahead of her departure, Natalie explained that turning 42 this year made her feel it was time to ‘be brave’ and explore new opportunities. 

‘You don’t want to get to 70 and think, “I never tried that”‘ she said. 

Natalie also expressed her deep love for the show, saying: ‘I’ve loved this programme with all my heart. 

‘I started at ten, it’s in my bones, it’s in my heart.’