Natalie Cassidy's hair makes big impression on The One Show

What did you miss?

Natalie Cassidy made a big impression on The One Show as viewers almost didn't recognise her with her voluminous blow dry.

The EastEnders star appeared on the BBC evening show with Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page to discuss their new podcast. But viewers were distracted by her eye-catching hairstyle, which seemed to be all that caught their attention.

Cassidy, 40, joined fellow actor Page, 46, on the green sofa to chat to Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas about their new collaboration — a podcast about their favourite TV shows. The soap star is known to EastEnders fans as busy nurse and mother Sonia Fowler and has starred in the soap since 1993 when she was just 10 years old.

Although she is most famous for her role in EastEnders, the 40-year-old actor often shares frank and open videos with her 425k Instagram followers wearing no make-up and casual leisure wear. The mum - who has two daughters with cameraman husband cameraman Marc Humphreys - speaks about her life as a busy working parent too.

What, how and why?

So many viewers of The One Show were taken aback to see the former Strictly Come Dancing contestant looking so coifed and glamorous, with her brunette hair styled into a big and bouncy shoulder-length bob.

One viewer wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter: "What's happened to Natalie's hair is it a wig or is it her own hair gone skewiff? #TheOneShow." Another asked: "Is Nat wearing a wig...?"

EastEnders fans had shared their excitement ahead of Cassidy's appearance on The One Show. "Can't wait," one person wrote.

"Natalie Cassidy on The One Show tomorrow," more people shared. "Natalie Cassidy will be on the one show tomorrow!"

Another added: "Just tuning in and watching from the beginning but had to stop watching “old” Enders, the episode where Sonia should be going to the Valentines Ball with Martin but making excuses. Your podcast is going to be so much fun. Wishing you and Jo so much luck. I’m a scaredy cat too!!!"

What else happened on The One Show?

The One Show hosts Jones and Jenas also discussed the proposed changes to school holidays. Educational charity The Nuffield Foundation is set to publish a study on overcoming post-pandemic learning disparities, which will recommend shortening the six week summer holiday to four weeks, and extending half term holidays to two weeks.

Working parents Cassidy and Page disagreed about the proposals. Mother-of-two Cassidy – whose daughters are aged 13 and seven – felt the summer holiday is too long. She said: "I think it's a good idea because I would like another week at Christmas. I think two weeks isn't enough time, so spreading them out through out the year a bit... six weeks is a long time."

But Page – who has four children aged between 10 and three with actor husband James Thornton – said: "I love it. I love that it's so long. You can go off, you can go on holiday, see grandparents, you can do whatever you want. I think if you split it up over the year the kids wouldn't get into a routine then. You'd be breaking everything up too much."

Jones, who has three children agreed: "The thing is at the end of the school you feel like they need a big break." Cassidy argued: "Yeah but four weeks break, I think they forget how to do everything."

Cassidy and Page have teamed up to host new BBC Sounds podcast Off The Telly in which they chat about the big TV shows of the week.

The One Show airs on BBC One at 7pm Monday to Friday.

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