Natalie Cassidy has opened up about a deeply distressing experience that involved the emergency hospitalization of her nine-year-old daughter. The ‘EastEnders’ star, best known for her role as trumpeter and drama-magnet Sonia Fowler, revealed she took her daughter Joanie to A&E after the girl broke her arm in a school accident.Cassidy spoke about the harrowing details of the incident, which came just weeks after Joanie had undergone surgery on the same arm following a previous injury. She shares Joanie with her fiance Marc Humphreys. He also has an older daughter, Eliza, 15, from a previous relationship.
The traumatic incident at school
Cassidy explained the circumstances of the accident with emotional honesty. She described how she and her family had planned to spend quality time together at home. “I had done some work in the morning at home. [Marc] went outside, put in the children’s pool, cut all the lawn, thinking that we will spend a few days, like a mini vacation, at home. And then the phone rang,” she explained on her Life with Nat podcast.The call brought devastating news. “Joanie has broken her arm again. Same arm, broken into pieces. General anesthesia, same operation,” Cassidy said, describing the injury in cruel terms. The incident happened when Joanie slipped in the hallway before PE at school.
Medical research in repeated fractures
After the second fracture, medical professionals began investigating whether an underlying condition might be contributing to Joanie’s susceptibility to breaking bones. Cassidy revealed that her daughter has been tested for “some type of deficiency” that could explain the frequency of injuries.However, the test results came back normal. “He’s had full blood work and everything is within range. He’s absolutely perfect. The consultant actually said, ‘I think it’s very unlucky,'” Cassidy reported, noting that the medical team could find no physiological explanation for the repeated fractures.
Natalie Cassidy’s career and past challenges
Cassidy joined EastEnders aged 10 and announced her departure from the soap in 2025, later venturing into podcasting with her show Life with Nat. The actress has previously addressed controversial decisions in her past, including appearing in a series of weight loss videos in the 2000s titled “Then & Now” and “The Perfect Ten.”Reflecting on those videos, Cassidy admitted it “wasn’t a good move” to take part in the series, during which she lost four stone.