EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has revealed that her nine-year-old daughter Joanie was rushed to A&E after breaking her arm for a second time, requiring surgery under general anaesthetic. The 43-year-old actress, best known for playing Sonia Fowler on the BBC soap, described the incident as 'traumatic' and said she 'felt like having a nervous breakdown'.
Accident at School
Joanie slipped over in the school hall before a PE lesson, just weeks after having metal plates surgically removed from the same arm following a previous break. Natalie recalled receiving the dreaded phone call while at home in Hertfordshire with her fiancé Marc Humphreys. 'She slipped over in the hall before doing PE. I'm speechless. It's so traumatic,' she said on her podcast, Life With Nat.
The couple had been preparing for a relaxing few days at home, with Marc setting up a paddling pool and cutting the grass. 'And then the phone rang,' Natalie added.
Previous Injuries and Surgery
Joanie had suffered a 'clean break' in her arm a few years earlier, which required metal work to be inserted. Eight weeks before the latest accident, she underwent a general anaesthetic to have the metal plates removed. 'And then eight weeks ago, she went under general anaesthetic, had it all out – and has done it again,' Natalie explained.
The worried mother admitted she 'really fell to pieces' and was 'not in a good place' due to the trauma and medication involved. 'Just her little body – and the medication and the trauma of it all,' she said.
Medical Investigations
Natalie has considered whether Joanie might have 'some sort of deficiency' causing frequent bone breaks, but full blood tests came back normal. 'It's absolutely perfect. The consultant actually said, “I do think it's just really bad luck”,' she shared.
The hospital dash occurred during a scorching heatwave, with parts of the UK exceeding 37°C in the hottest June days on record. Despite the warmth, Natalie praised hospital staff for their professionalism. 'They're laughing, they're joking. Just wonderful, wonderful people. We were so well looked after again,' she said, joking that visiting the hospital felt like 'being in a hotel' and that the anaesthetist 'actually knew' Joanie from memory.
Impact on Family Plans
The medical emergency has complicated the family's upcoming getaway. Joanie will need to be medically cleared before flying with a cast, and a waterproof cover will be required for swimming. Natalie quipped that the hospital visits are 'like a little trip now'.
Natalie's Career Moves
Natalie left EastEnders in 2025 after nine years back in the role, having first appeared as Sonia Fowler in 1993. Her exit storyline saw her character leave Walford for Bali with her daughters and sister Bianca Jackson. Since then, she has focused on her podcast and a BBC documentary, Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together, in which she trained as a professional carer.
Reflecting on her departure from the soap, she told the Please Keep Me Anonymous podcast: 'I was 41, and I thought, “No, I've got to get out of here.” It was weird, really, because the pattern was I started when I was 10, I did 12 years, had eight years off, and I went back for 12, and I left.' She has not ruled out a return in the future, possibly in 2033.
