EastEnders legend ‘gutted’ to miss out on big Gavin and Stacey role
EastEnders legend ‘gutted’ to miss out on big Gavin and Stacey role
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It’s almost impossible to imagine anyone else playing any of the characters in Gavin & Stacey, but one EastEnders star has revealed just how close she came to being in the hit sitcom. Natalie Cassidy – best known to millions of soap fans as Walford’s Sonia Fowler – has told of how she auditioned for the part of Smithy’s sister Rudi.
![[Sonia Fowler looking worried in EastEnders.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/501563-db7b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The character was eventually brought to life by Sheridan Smith, who made sporadic appearances throughout the second and third series of Gavin & Stacey’s original 2007 to 2010 run, before reprising the role for a cameo in the 2024 Christmas special. Speaking to TV Times, Natalie, 41, revealed she was ‘gutted’ to lose out on the role.
![[Sheridan Smith with James Corden in Gavin and Stacey]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PRI_144858186-376f.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. The actress recalled: ‘James Corden phoned me up and said “we’ve got this idea…” You just have to give it your best shot.
![[Natalie Cassidy in a press shot for season two of Boarders]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/505922-6bf0.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘Sometimes you get stuff and sometimes you don’t.’. Natalie still has a connection to the Gavin & Stacey universe, however, as she hosts the BBC podcast Off The Telly with Joanna Page, who plays Stacey Shipman in the show. She previously told of how the audition didn’t go to plan on the podcast, saying last month: ‘Can I tell you a secret…? I auditioned for the part of Smithy’s sister.
