BBC ballroom series Strictly Come Dancing.

EastEnders legend Natalie appeared on the glitzy show – which returns to screens tonight (September 28) – back in 2009. Partnered with

Vincent Simone, the pair ended up reaching fifth place in the competition.

However, when reflecting on her time on the show a few years later, Natalie revealed she was “devastated” after being left feeling

uncomfortable about her weight at the time.

BBC legend Natalie Cassidy on her Strictly Come Dancing experience

In an interview from 2022, Natalie spoke out about her time on Strictly Come Dancing. The EastEnders star said she was left shocked after being asked to perform a move on the show that was usually executed by men.

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“I was about four stone bigger than I am now. Vincenzo was quite little,” she said on the Ry-union podcast. Natalie then went on: “And I remember one week, it was like: ‘Oh, we’re going to do this dance, but you’re going to pick up Vincent.’”

‘You couldn’t do that now

Reflecting on that moment, Natalie then admitted: “I think about it now and think, oh that was out of order. That was a bit out of order to me. You couldn’t do that now.”

Despite the ‘fat-shaming’ experience, Natalie revealed the show was the “best job outside of EastEnders”. She explained: “I mean, job? That’s a laugh! Getting up, dancing all day, learning how to dance.

“I had lovely Vincenzo next to me. We were like brother and sister. All week we just laughed the whole time.” She also quipped: “We just had the best time and I loved it. I loved the glitz, the glamour.”

Natalie Cassidy takes EastEnders break

In other Natalie Cassidy news, the actress is currently taking a brief break from EastEnders.

In July, it was reported that she was taking a break from filming to concentrate on a new project for Channel 4. On screen, Sonia is languishing in jail, charged with killing Debbie.

“Natalie Cassidy is taking a short break from the soap to concentrate on another project over on Channel 4, which will mean Sonia Fowler will be leaving the square for a period of time. Could that mean the end of Sonia and Reiss?” read a post by Walford East.