Natalie Cassidy returns to EastEnders

EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy is to make a one off return to the soap next year, it has been confirmed.

The actress is reprising her role as Sonia Fowler for one episode as Sonia returns to Albert Square as part of a new storyline centring around her half-sister Bianca.

Sonia’s sudden reappearance in Walford comes after a huge confrontation between the Jackson family over Connor’s relationships with Bianca’s mother and stepdaughter.

After events come to a head, Bianca disappears from the Square - but Sonia’s comeback sees her provide some answers about the feisty mum’s whereabouts.

Speaking to DS, an EastEnders insider said: "True to form, Bianca has got herself into big trouble while trying to protect her family and, scared about what might happen, she does a runner. When she suddenly goes missing, Sonia turns up unannounced and drops the bombshell that she knows where Bianca is and what she’s going to do next."

Cassidy originally played the role of Sonia for over 13 years between 1993 and 2007, before making a brief return earlier this year. The actress recently gave birth to her first child with partner Adam Cotrell and has been starring in her own reality series about motherhood - Natalie Cassidy: Becoming Mum.