Natalie Cassidy revealed she once fractured her sternum because she was straining so much while practicing giving birth live on EastEnders.
The actress, who played Sonia Fowler in the BBC soap for over three decades, revealed she was so ‘nervous’ that she ‘really went for it’ while acting out giving birth which caused her ‘sternum to pop out’.
Natalie said she now ‘worries about her bone density’ after going to the hospital and doctors were left concerned that she had managed to do it to herself.
Speaking to Katherine Ryan on her What’s My Age Again podcast, the soap star opened up about the incident which took place during EastEnders’ 40th Anniversary Week with the live show airing on February 20, this year.
She said: ‘I take a few supplements my bones are quite… I was straining when I was acting out giving birth and I did it live for EastEnders live and I had to give birth live so there was quite a lot of nervous.
‘A couple of days before that I went for it, really went for it, and my sternum popped out, not out of the skin but it popped out and I carried on with the rehearsals.
Natalie Cassidy revealed she once fractured her sternum because she was straining so much while practicing giving birth live on EastEnders
The actress, who played Sonia Fowler in the BBC soap for over three decades, revealed she was so ‘nervous’ that she ‘really went for it’ while acting out giving birth which caused her ‘sternum to pop out’.
‘I went to hospital after and I had fractured my sternum and the guy said to me, have you checked your bones because that is mad, that is a car accident and you’ve done that to yourself.
‘I do take all the osteoporosis stuff because I’m worried about my bone density.’
During the live show, Sonia went into labour and gave birth in the Queen Vic to her baby Julia.
After giving birth, Natalie was also tasked with delivering the closing monologue as Sonia, a role traditionally associated with the late June Brown’s character, Dot Cotton.
Elsewhere during the podcast, Natalie reignited her row with Paloma Faith as she doubled down on claims she was bullied at school.
Natalie 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.
Natalie said she now ‘worries about bone density’ after going to the hospital and doctors were left concerned that she had managed to do it to herself
She said: ‘I was straining when I was acting out giving birth and I did it live for EastEnders live and I had to give birth live so there was quite a lot of nervous’
The actress 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.
‘A couple of days before that I went for it, really went for it, and my sternum popped out, not out of the skin but it popped out and I carried on with the rehearsals’, she revealed
‘I went to hospital after and I had fractured my sternum and they said to me, have you checked your bones because that is mad, that is a car accident and you’ve done that to yourself’
Natalie landed the role of Sonia Fowler (Pictured) in EastEnders whilst still at school, auditioning when she was just 10. She exited in April this year as part of the 40th anniversary
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.’
