EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy has described the traumatic moment her nine-year-old daughter Joanie was rushed to hospital with her arm 'smashed to pieces' after a fall at school. The 43-year-old, known for playing Sonia Fowler, shared the ordeal on her podcast Life With Nat, explaining that Joanie slipped over in the hall before PE, just weeks after having metal plates surgically removed from the same arm following a previous break.
Natalie Cassidy's panic over daughter's injury
Cassidy, who has daughters Eliza, 15, and Joanie with fiancé Marc Humphreys, said she 'felt like [she] was having a nervous breakdown' when she received the call. 'Joanie's broken her arm again. Same arm — smashed to pieces. General anaesthetic, same operation,' she recounted. The family had been preparing for a relaxing few days at home in Hertfordshire, with Marc setting up a paddling pool and cutting the grass, when the phone rang.
'I'd done a little bit of work in the morning at home. He went outside, put the paddling pool up, cut all the grass — thinking we're going to have a few days, like a mini holiday, at home. And then the phone rang. She slipped over in the hall before doing PE. I'm speechless. It's so traumatic,' Cassidy said.
Recurring breaks raise concerns
Cassidy explained that Joanie had a 'clean break' in her arm a few years ago, requiring surgery to insert metal plates. Eight weeks prior to the latest incident, Joanie underwent another general anaesthetic to have the plates removed. 'And then eight weeks ago, she went under general anaesthetic, had it all out – and has done it again,' Cassidy said. The actress admitted she 'really fell to pieces' and 'was not in a good place,' worrying about her daughter's 'little body – and the medication and the trauma of it all.'
Cassidy has considered whether Joanie might have 'some sort of deficiency' causing frequent breaks, but said 'she's had full blood tests, and everything is in range. It's absolutely perfect. The consultant actually said, “I do think it's just really bad luck.”'
Hospital experience during heatwave
The incident occurred during a scorching heatwave, with parts of the UK exceeding 37°C in the hottest June days on record. Cassidy praised hospital staff for keeping morale high despite the heat. 'The hospital was quite warm for the few days we were in there. They're laughing, they're joking. Just wonderful, wonderful people. We were so well looked after again,' she said, jokingly adding that visiting the hospital was like 'being in a hotel' and that the anaesthetist 'actually knew' Joanie from memory.
The medical emergency has complicated the family's upcoming getaway, as Joanie will need medical clearance to fly with a cast and a waterproof cover for swimming.
Cassidy's career after EastEnders
Cassidy, who has played Sonia Fowler intermittently for over 30 years, left the BBC soap in 2025 after nine years back in the role. Her exit storyline saw her character move to Bali with her daughters. Since then, she has focused on her podcast and the BBC documentary Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together, where she trains as a professional carer. Speaking about her departure, 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, saying 'maybe I will go back in eight years; you never know, do you?'
