Yahoo News EastEnders’ Natalie Cassidy credits her work ethic to ‘formidable’ Barbara Windsor
The actor said she feels lucky to have had such great co-stars
EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy says she learned to work hard, turn up on time and be polite to everybody on set from soap legend Dame Barbara Windsor.
The actor has been playing Albert Square's Sonia since 1993 when she was 10, and said she is grateful to have shared the screen with people like Windsor and the late Wendy Richard, who starred as Pauline Fowler.
Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, Cassidy explained that she learned a lot from Peggy Mitchell actor Windsor, who died in December 2020 aged 83 having been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease in 2014.
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"Growing up, I say it all the time, I feel so privileged to have been at EastEnders at a time when there was Barbara there, Wendy... real formidable, professional fantastic actresses who taught me and showed me the ropes," she said.
The 39-year-old went on: "I am always on time, I know my lines, I say hello to everyone and I know everyone's name, and that is from Barbara really."
Cassidy is one of several EastEnders stars running the London Marathon in memory of Windsor.
The late star's husband Scott Mitchell is also taking part.
Cassidy has run the race before and said that although it is an "amazing day", the training can be tough.
She said it helped that there were a few of them doing it together.
"The long runs are really hard to get out and do on your own," she said.
Read more: Danny Dyer admits there are 'a few' EastEnders co-stars he won't miss at all
"The WhatsApp group we've got, all of us together, you think, 'Oh it's raining, it's grey, I don't want to go' and then you see someone has done a run and it makes you go out."
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