EastEnders Legend Natalie Cassidy Rushed to Hospital After Live Episode Injury
EastEnders icon Natalie Cassidy has revealed she was rushed to hospital after sustaining a serious injury while filming the BBC soap’s explosive 40th anniversary live episode earlier this year.
A Painful Accident During a Historic Week
The 40th anniversary celebration was one of EastEnders’ most ambitious events to date — a week packed with shocking deaths, emotional goodbyes, and even a special live broadcast.
The storyline saw chaos erupt in Albert Square after Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) pushed Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) into the road, triggering Reiss Colwell’s car crash into the Queen Vic during Billy and Honey Mitchell’s wedding reception.
The disaster led to a massive explosion and multiple tragedies. Reiss was crushed to death while trying to prove his innocence to Sonia Fowler, who was in the middle of giving birth. Martin Fowler (James Bye) later died in Stacey Slater’s (Lacey Turner) arms during the emotional live finale, after confessing his love to her.
Behind the scenes, though, the drama took a real-life toll on one of the show’s most beloved stars.
Natalie Cassidy’s On-Set Injury
Appearing on Katherine Ryan’s What’s My Age Again? podcast, Natalie revealed that she suffered a fractured sternum while rehearsing for Sonia’s intense birth scene — which she performed live during the broadcast.
“I was straining when I was acting out giving birth, and I did it live for EastEnders Live,” she said. “It was an episode. I had to give birth live. So there was a lot of nerves, and 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 out.”
Despite the pain, Natalie continued rehearsing before eventually being taken to hospital.
“I carried on with the rehearsal, carried it all on, and I went to the hospital, and I fractured my sternum,” she explained.
Her doctor reportedly told her the injury was comparable to what someone might sustain in a car accident, leaving the actress stunned.
Podcast host Katherine Ryan reacted in disbelief: “You acted yourself a broken bone!”
Natalie laughed and confirmed: “I did, yeah. I take all the osteoporosis stuff because I’m worried about my bone density a little bit.”
A Career of Dedication
Natalie Cassidy, who joined EastEnders in 1993 as Sonia Fowler, remained one of the show’s longest-serving cast members before officially leaving Walford earlier this year. Her exit followed the emotional anniversary storyline that saw Sonia’s partner Reiss die and her character give birth live on-screen.
Fans have praised the actress’s dedication and professionalism, especially given her injury occurred during rehearsals for one of the show’s most high-pressure weeks.
What’s Next for Natalie
Since leaving the soap, Natalie has taken part in ITV’s Cooking with the Stars and hinted at exploring new creative projects. But for many fans, she’ll always be remembered as Sonia — the trumpet-playing, big-hearted nurse whose storylines defined decades of EastEnders history.