Natalie Cassidy has told of the deeply distressing experience of her nine-year-old daughter’s emergency hospitalization. The EastEnders star, best known for playing trumpet player Sonia Fowler, revealed she rushed her daughter Joanne to the emergency room after she broke her arm in an accident at school.Cassidy spoke of the harrowing details of the incident, which occurred just weeks after Joanne underwent surgery on the same arm following a previous injury. She shares Joanne with fiancé Mark Humphries. She also has an older daughter, 15-year-old Eliza, from a previous relationship.
Traumatic events at school
Cassidy explained the circumstances of the accident with emotional honesty. She described how she and her family planned to spend quality time together at home. “I did some work at home in the morning. [Marc] Went outside, built the paddling pool, cut all the grass – thinking we were going to spend a few days at home, like a mini vacation. And then the phone rang,” she recalled on the Life with Nat podcast.The phone call brought devastating news. “Joanne’s arm is broken again. Same arm – smashed to pieces. General anesthesia, same surgery,” Cassidy described the injury in stark terms. The incident occurred when Joanne slipped and fell in the hall in front of her school’s PE class.
Cassidy revealed that her daughter fractured the same arm again just weeks after undergoing surgery. Photo credit (Natalie Cassidy)
Natalie Cassidy’s emotional reaction
The emotional stress of the situation proved too much for the actress. “I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I’m going to be honest here. I really broke down. I wasn’t in a good place. It was just her little body — and the drugs and the trauma of it all,” Cassidy candidly shared about her mental state during the crisis.
medical investigation causing repeated fractures
After the second fracture, medical professionals began investigating whether there was an underlying medical condition that made Joanne prone to fractures. Cassidy revealed that her daughter had been tested for “some kind of defect” that could explain the frequency of injuries.However, the test results were reassuringly normal. Cassidy reported, “She had full blood tests and everything was within range. It was absolutely perfect. The consultant actually said, ‘I do think it’s just bad luck.'” This suggested that the medical team could not find a physiological explanation for the repeated fractures.
The actress admitted she felt overwhelmed during her daughter’s recovery but was relieved medical tests revealed no underlying health issues. Photo credit (Natalie Cassidy)
Natalie Cassidy advocates for social media safety
In addition to dealing with her family’s health crisis, Cassidy has also been outspoken about her concerns about children’s safety. In February, she expressed support for a proposal to ban social media use by teenagers under 16 and supported a campaign called “Little Victims of Big Tech.”The campaign revealed shocking findings through algorithmic experiments designed to reveal what content the platform shows young users. Four fake profiles created with users as young as 13 years old received hundreds of relevant pieces of content in just one week. “I can’t tell you how shocking this is. They are focusing on sexual content, racism, violence, misogyny, extreme dieting leading to anorexia, self-harm and even suicidal ideation. It’s incredible,” Cassidy said, expressing her fears about the materials available to children.
Natalie Cassidy’s career and past challenges
Cassidy joined EastEnders when she was 10 and announced her retirement from the soap in 2025 before venturing into podcasting with the show Life with Nat. The actress has previously discussed controversial decisions she’s made in the past, including appearing in a series of weight-loss videos in the 2000s called “Then and Now” and “The Perfect Ten.”Reflecting on the films, Cassidy admitted taking part in the series, during which she lost four stone, was “not a good move”.
