Archive August 2, 2025

Natalie Cassidy, a former EastEnders star, is one of the contestants in the new season of Cooking with the Stars. Sonia Fowler, who portrayed her in the EastEnders, left Walford in April.

Former EastEnders cast member Natalie Cassidy has been “bricking it” over her latest TV project, which is scheduled to launch later this weekend. The actor has teased that she pushed herself out of her comfort zone for the experience.

Natalie, 42, announced earlier that year that she would be leaving the BBC soap opera. Her character Sonia Fowler, who first appeared in 1993, then left Walford in scenes that aired back in April, with her seen embarking on a new life abroad with her two children and her sister Bianca Jackson.

Following her departure, it was revealed that Natalie will appear on the new series of ITV’s Cooking with the Stars and she’s spoken about feeling nervous ahead of the launch. It comes after Channel 4 breaks silence after Gogglebox couple suddenly dumped from show.

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Natalie, who has been mentored by professional chef Tony Singh for the show, said that she “loves” cooking at home. The actor however spoke to WhatToWatch recently about how the experience differed from that.

She recalls using vegetable stock when practicing at home rather than vegetable oil. The outlet then continued, “This ball game is completely different from what I’m used to doing, but usually I’m cooking with a glass of wine, listening to the radio, and relaxing with a cup of wine while washing the kids.”

You have a recipe, Natalie said, and you have no time to think about it at all. She made the comments while discussing one of Sonia’s employment on EastEnders: “I need to produce high-end grub and I’m bricking it”!

She also explained that she wanted to improve her culinary skills and that her “staples” include spaghetti and roast dinners. They are “good basics,” according to Natalie, but the competition show also offered new insights into herbs, spices, and various cultures.

The former soap star claimed to “impress” her two kids in the kitchen. Natalie teased her by revealing that she also hoped to learn where the chefs “go to eat” and that she wants to find a list of restaurants and “hidden gems”

Natalie revealed both her weaknesses and strengths in the Cooking with the Stars competition component while speaking to the outlet. Celebrities compete in the kitchen before being judged in the finale of the show.

Being “organized” is one of her qualities, Natalie said. She expressed her dislike for “lateness,” adding that she is “very aware of time,” which she hoped would help with her cooking timings on the show.

The “chopping side of things” is then acknowledged as her weakness. Because the actor is an “Awkward Annie,” Natalie told the outlet that close friends frequently offer to take over chopping boards if they are positioned next to her in the kitchen.

Cooking with the Stars airs on ITV, ITVX, STV, and STVPlayer starting at 7 p.m. tomorrow night.

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After being fired from the villa, a dumped Love Island favorite has revealed their striking ties to Liam Gallagher and his niece Anais Gallagher.

Former Love Island contestant Tommy Bradley has revealed he once carried out gardening work at the home of Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.

Tommy, 22, was dumped from the ITV2 dating series alongside Lucy Quinn nearly three weeks ago. Speaking on GK Barry’s Saving Grace podcast, the Hertfordshire landscape gardener explained that before joining the show, his work often took him to celebrity properties.

“When I tell people I do gardening, it doesn’t sound as good,” he said. “But we’d go to footballers’ houses and celebrities.” It comes after dumped Love Island star Megan Forte Clarke took a brutal swipe at Harry and Shakira after being axed from the island for a second time.

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Tommy responded, “Liam Gallagher,” when asked who the most well-known client was. I’m a huge Oasis fan, and one of the things I used to do was maintain him, such as trimming his grass, trimming his backs, and doing general maintenance.

Gallagher temporarily leaving the property, according to Tommy, who was with the company at the time. When he left for building work, I immediately joined that business. He explained that he moved to the Cotswolds while renovating his home.

He moved back in after I left, and I was only there for three months, just for the summer. I was actually devastated.

Tommy claimed to have had an indirect connection to the famous family even though he did not meet Gallagher at the time. He revealed that Anais Gallagher’s daughter, Noel Gallagher, had left a comment on one of his TikTok posts.

“I was buzzing,” he said. “I then went on Instagram and saw she follows me, so I followed her back. She sent a video of Noel and Liam on stage and I messaged her like, ‘Counting down the days.’”

Tommy claimed that the conversation ended there, but he intends to see Liam Gallagher perform later this year. He declared, “I’m going to Wembley in September.” She inquired as to what show I would be attending. She liked the message, but that’s all that has been left.

The gardener appeared on the summer 2025 series of Love Island and has became known for his romance with fellow contestant Lucy Quinn before the pair were eliminated.

He has been talking about his experiences with celebrities through his gardening work since leaving the villa about his life before reality TV.

Lucy, Tommy’s love interest, finally addressed her viral voicenote after leaving the Love Island villa.

The makeup artist, 21, faced backlash when a message she had sent to a friend before entering the ITV2 reality show as a Bombshell was leaked.

In the 37-second recording, fans heard her plan to couple up with Tommy – who at that point had just finished dating Megan Forte Clarke – as a supposedly guaranteed way to make it to the final, and was grilled by host Maya Jama on the incident during an appearance on Sunday’s Aftersun.

She continued, “So obviously, like, we probably have all done it, like, sent friends voice notes, and obviously, I really did trust that friend.

I was just saying that Tommy is a very nice boy, and that’s why I wanted to get to know him.

She continued, “Til the end,” but it wasn’t like the final, obviously, because I was intending to be with him in the future, and that she did not intend for the message to come across as a game plan to win. Someone with upstanding moral standards and similar things.

The Liverpudlian also profusely apologised to Megan, who she had described as a “f***king little slapper,” insisting she is not typically the type of person to say that, and claimed Tommy is a boy her father liked in her airtime.

She continued, “And my dad did say to me before going on the show, “He’s the kind of boy I’d like you to bring home because he’s just very respectful. I should never have made a comment on someone I’ve never met before, despite the fact that I should be talking about Meghan as well. I apologize very much for that because I’m not that kind of girl.

Lucy argued that the scandal “has been blown out of proportion” and that she didn’t anticipate hearing the voice memo in the first place.

Lucy responded, saying, “I hope you blocked her after that,” and Maya replied, “That’s undoubtedly not a good friend.”

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