Natalie Cassidy ‘Dad was my biggest support – I keep his ashes on the windowsill and talk to him every day’

After losing her mum when she was just 19, Natalie Cassidy's bond with her dad Charles grew into something special and he lived with her during his final years.

Following his death in April 2021, EastEnders star Natalie, 40, has made sure his memory stays alive at the home she shares with her fiancé and her two daughters.

Speaking exclusively to OK! during an exclusive photoshoot at her stunning Hertfordshire home, Natalie said she has converted Charles' old bedroom into a special family space – and keeps his ashes on the windowsill in her lounge.

“I know it might be a bit morbid for some people but he sits on the windowsill and I like to have a chat with him," she told us.



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Natalie, who plays Sonia on the BBC soap, lives at the gorgeous property with her fiancé Marc Humphreys and two daughters Eliza, 13, and seven-year-old Joanie. They moved in four-and-a-half years ago, and Natalie's dad Charles went with them.

“My dad was with us because his health started to deteriorate and I didn’t want him to be living on his own any more,” Natalie explained.

“I decided to bite the bullet and find somewhere with an annexe, so that Dad was still with us, but could also be independent and have his own space."

Charles suffered a combination of medical issues towards the end of his life, she shared, and Natalie knew the end was near. “I just had this gut feeling that he didn’t have long at all. And within a week he passed.”

Natalie, who has become one of the nation's most loved soap stars over the last three decades, said she was "very fortunate" to be with her dad when he passed, and it gave her a sense of peace.

“I was at his side as he left the world – and I found it the most amazing experience," she told us.

“It was very peaceful. It made me realise how much our bodies mean nothing. Once your soul goes, it’s just an empty shell. We all worry about what we look like and impressing people and all of that, but it really made me realise that what’s inside of us, our soul, is everything.”

The annexe she created especially for her beloved dad has now been converted into a cosy family space with games, a pool table, and lots of her daughters' toys, keeping his memory alive.

They still refer to the space as "grandad's" and although she "misses him terribly", she said it offers her some comfort.

“We say, ‘Shall we go into Grandad’s to watch telly?’ And we’ve also got a little glass box with feathers in. If the girls see a feather, they’ll put it in the box. It’s just weird him not being here. I miss him terribly.”

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