Real life of Natalie Cassidy - from EastEnders to fitness guru and more

Natalie Cassidy was one of the best-known faces in soapland for more than 20 years. The London-born actor played schoolgirl Sonia Fowler in Albert Square from 1993.

Leaving EastEnders may have meant that she wasn't on the UK's TV screens several nights a week, but hardworking Natalie didn't stop. She went from soaps to fitness to Strictly and beyond.

And tonight (Wednesday) the 40-year-old mum is a guest mentor on the new BBC Two reality show Bring The Drama. The programme sees Bill Bailey host as eight aspiring actors are mentored over six weeks by a casting director, working on the sets of some of the UK's best-loved dramas.

Try MEN Premium now for FREE... just click here to give it a go.

Here's all you need to know about Natalie.

When did we first see Natalie Cassidy onscreen?

Theatre-schooled Nat, from Islington, got her big TV break in 1993 on EastEnders, playing Sonia Fowler from the age of 10. She quickly became a fan favourite, known for learning the trumpet.

In the 14 years she played the role, she was involved in affairs, feuds, bereavements, family problems, teenage pregnancy and a cancer scare. Sonia was pregnant at 15, putting the baby up for adoption, and lost her fiance Jamie Mitchell after he was run over.

Natalie left the soap in 2007, with her character supposedly moving to Manchester. She came back to the Square in 2009 for another year as Sonia, then left - and in 2014, returned once more, now a regular visitor to the Square when storylines require it.

How did she become known as the face of fitness?

The actor became known as a fitness guru after her 2007 departure from the soap. She recorded Natalie Cassidy's Then and Now Workout DVD and then, in 2008, she appeared in the documentary