Natalie Cassidy has revealed how a “ridiculous” health condition once left her struggling to see clearly.
The 42-year-old EastEnders favourite, best known as Sonia Fowler, admitted earlier this year that hay fever has plagued her for years, calling it “debilitating” and at times almost unbearable.
Writing in her column for The i, she explained how the UK’s high pollen count had a major impact on her daily life. “As I sit and write, I can hardly see. The pollen is taking a ridiculous toll on my nose. I’ve been at my sister-in-law’s baby shower all day,” she confessed.
Hay fever affects around 16 million people in Britain – one in four – with common symptoms including itchy eyes, sneezing and sore throats. But despite her struggles, Natalie insisted she refuses to let it control her happiness.
She explained: “I am 42 years of age, and I am extremely happy. I used to worry about my scone intake or my hay fever-y, swollen eyes. I would have thought about what to wear for the baby shower a few days before, trying on numerous outfits. I would have been stressed about the traffic and how long it would take me to get to Kent.”
Having been in the public eye since childhood, the actress admitted she used to let the pressures of fame and dieting consume her. “By 14, I was having pink-top mags crossing or ticking my outfits. I tried every fad diet out there and yo-yo dieted up until my mid-thirties. Then I found what really made me happy: everything in moderation and not sweating the small stuff.”
