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Strictly Come Dancing star Natalie Cassidy has been a fixture on our television screens as Sonia Fowler in EastEnders for more than three decades, until she departed the soap last February, describing the move as 'freeing', to explore fresh opportunities.

One of those could be an entirely new career in stand-up comedy, as she has disclosed that what she'd relish more than anything is "5 minutes of stand-up at a pub".

The 42-year-old said, "I find it absolutely fascinating that idea of standing on stage on your own - and your job is to make people laugh".

Speaking to comic Rebecca Maree during a live podcast, part of the new In Conversation shows, the soap icon said the idea delights and terrifies her in equal measure.

"I'd s*** my pants. But I'd love to do five minutes in a pub. I would. My style would probably very anecdotal - probably funny stories about my kids, that would be my thing," reports the Mirror.

She continued: "I would love to be in Motherland, it's just hilarious - I was a guest star, actually, in Series 3. Or a real old-school sitcom, like Gimme, Gimme, Gimme or Friday Night Dinner.

"Sitcoms are my thing, and I do think they're making a comeback. I would love to be a part of them for the first time."

Whatever lies ahead, down-to-earth Natalie will be warmly remembered by thousands for portraying Sonia on Albert Square, who transformed from a trumpet-playing teenage mum to one of the more seasoned, if interfering, middle-aged inhabitants of Walford.

Looking back, she says Sonia's shocking birth scene aged just 15 to a little girl, Chloe - fathered by Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou), will forever be her most iconic.

"It has to be Sonia giving birth on a sofa. But Sonia was in labour and didn't even know she was pregnant. And what I've since realised is, that actually happens a lot in life. More than you'd think.

"People just come up to me you know and say, 'I did a Sonia!" and tell me their birth stories.""

She'll also never forget working with late, great stars such as June Brown, Peggy Mitchell and Wendy Richard, she told Australian-born, London-based funnywoman Maree.

"They were all just brilliant. . I look back now and realise, you don't know what you've got. I was really good friends with those people. They're not with us anymore, but I was so honoured to have had their advice, their care, share laughs with them. They were great memories."

The star has branched out over the years. During a break from EastEnders between 2007 and 2014, she participated in Celebrity Big Brother in 2012, alongside late American actor Michael Madsen and X Factor star, Frankie Cocozza.

She didn't last long and evidently didn't relish the experience, as she lambasts some stars' enormous egos. "It's like being in the jungle - what a hoo ha that was, eh?! You do just chat shi* and forget you're on the telly.

"But I was very lucky. I went in, got dyed blue, had some boiled eggs and came out early. There are a lot of people who have egos so big.

"I've been in this industry for over 30 years, but I've never changed. I have no ego. So, it blows my mind that you meet people who think they're better than others. We're just trying to entertain.. We're not arduous workers. We're not NHS workers. We're not carers. I'm like, "Chill the f*** out."

The most important advice she would offer her younger self, she revealed, is "don't trust everybody. Don't be so kind. A lot of people have maybe taken me for granted, because I am a nice person. I'm happy to say that now".

Natalie is mother to two daughters, Eliza, 16, from her previous relationship with Adam Cottrell, and Joanie, 9, with her fiancé, cameraman Marc Humphreys. She expressed deep concerns about the world today, particularly for her teenage daughter.

"When I was young, I'd go down the canal, drink a bottle of white lightning beer - it didn't go any further. We had no photos. It's a scary world now, literally everything is documented.

"If you go to a party now, it's unfair on the young people. If someone's boob pops out, at school the next day, it goes all round. I worry for Eliza - for our teens, now. As much as social media's a huge problem, having the phones out and capturing everything is a bigger problem."

She continued: "And there's lots of hate, lots of comparing yourself to others. My favourite saying has always been, 'What people think of you is none of your business'." The proud mum, who hosts her own weekly podcast, Life With Nat, is also the first to admit that being a parent is no easy ride.

She said, "Being a mum's probably been my biggest challenge. It's realising that your life is not your own, because it isn't, and that is a huge thing to undertake.

"I think people really underestimate parenting. I absolutely love it. But it's hard work, I'm not afraid to say that."