Natalie Cassidy has recalled how Steve McFadden "wouldn’t talk to her" when she quit ‘EastEnders’.
The 37-year-old actress first played trumpet-loving Sonia Fowler from 1993 to 2007 before departing the soap and then re-joining briefly in 2010 and permanently in 2014 – but when she told her co-star, BBC One soap stalwart Steve (Phil Mitchell), about her decision to depart, he tried to convince her otherwise.
She said: "When I was thinking of leaving when I was 18, I remember sitting down with him. He said, ‘Listen, you don’t know what you’ve got here, you don’t want to go anywhere, there’s nothing better than this, trust me.’
"I came back [after a meeting] and said ‘Steve, Steve, I’ve done it.’ He said, ‘What have you done?’ And I said, ‘I’m leaving.’ He wouldn’t talk to me."
Natalie has also admitted she would’ve loved for Sonia to have hooked up with Phil – who has been portrayed by Steve since 1990 – because she enjoys working with the Albert Square legend.
Speaking on ‘EastEnders: Secrets from the Square’, she added: "It’s a strange one, but I’m going to say it, I would have loved Sonia and Phil to get together.
"I’m being serious because it’s all for selfish reasons, but I love working with Steve.
"You’ve got to up your game, and he’s such a nice guy to work with. He always helped me from a very young age."
‘EastEnders’ returns to the small screen on Monday (07.09.20) following an enforced break as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.