Natalie Cassidy waved goodbye to her beloved EastEnders character Sonia Fowler earlier this year, ready for a fresh challenge. Now, as one of eight celebrities taking part in the fifth helping of ITV1’s Cooking With The Stars 2025, she’s braced for kitchen drama of a different kind!
Once again hosted by Emma Willis and Tom Allen, the new six-parter sees the star paired with professional chef Tony Singh and tasked with cooking a vegetable thali consisting of three different curry dishes in the opening episode’s first round.
Here, Natalie, 42, spills the beans on her reasons for stepping up to the plate…
Natalie Cassidy - Cooking With The Stars interview
This is worlds away from Walford, Natalie What appealed to you about taking part?
“I wanted to do it because I absolutely love cooking at home but I cook the same dishes over and over again, so I really wanted to be with a chef all day long. My staples are Sunday roast dinners, spaghetti and meatballs and chilli. They’re good basics but I'd love to learn more about herbs, spices and different cultures and foods.”
You must have been delighted when professional chef Tony Singh, known for his innovative Scottish-Asian fusions, was assigned as your mentor?
“Yes! Depending on which chef you’re paired with, depends on what you might cook, so I’m looking forward to being with a world-class chef and learning from him. I’d love to get better at chopping. I’m left-handed and my knife skills aren’t great, so if I could learn some hacks on how to chop things a bit better, that would be lovely. Also, how to de-bone and fillet a fish or fillet a piece of meat.”
In the opening episode you cook a vegetable thali, consisting of a chickpea curry, red lentil daal and spiced pilau with raita and chutney in one hour. Was that daunting?
“I did think, ‘This is week one, should we pare it back a little?' but no, Tony’s all for it. If I can get all the components of this Thali out on time it will be a miracle. It’s so easy to make a mistake. You’ve really got to be on it, especially in the studio with the timings.”
How does it differ from cooking at home?
“When I practised this at home, instead of pouring in 300 millilitres of vegetable stock I poured in 300 millilitres of vegetable oil. Usually I’m cooking with a glass of wine with the radio on, leisurely doing a bit of washing and talking to the kids [Natalie has two daughters, Eliza and Joanie], but this is a completely different ball game. You have a recipe and you don’t have any time to think about it at all. This is not the cafe on Albert Square, I need to produce high-end grub and I'm bricking it!”
What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses going into the competition?
“I would say, being organised - I hate lateness so I'm always very aware of time and that's a good thing because I'm on the ball when it comes to timing. I’m hoping that's going to help me. My weakness is the chopping side of things. If I chop at home and someone is standing beside me they always say, ‘Let me do it,’ because I'm an Awkward Annie!”
Finally, other than culinary skills, what are you hoping to gain from the experience?
“I really want to impress my kids in the kitchen. I also want to learn where all the chefs go to eat. I want to get a list of restaurants and hidden gems!”
Cooking With The Stars 2025 starts on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 3 August at 9pm with episodes the new six-parter airing weekly.
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