BBC EastEnders legend claims she was ‘bullied’ at school by singer Paloma Faith as actress ‘gutted’
EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy has revealed that singer Paloma Faith bullied her during their school days at Islington Green School in north London.
In the recent revelation, the 42-year-old actress claimed Faith, who was in the year above her, had tormented her at the comprehensive.
“Paloma Faith, she bullied me at school. She went to Islington Green and was in the year above me,” Cassidy said on her podcast, Life With Nat.
The actress, who has played Sonia Fowler on the BBC soap on and off since she was a child, added that the two have since discussed the matter.
“We’ve spoken about it and she has said sorry about that. Gutted,” Cassidy revealed, indicating that Faith, now 43, has apologised for her past behaviour.
GB News has reached out to Faith’s representatives over the claims.
Despite Cassidy labelling the singer a bully during her school days, comments from Faith herself have emerged suggesting she was also a victim of bullying at the same school.
In a 2012 post on X, formerly Twitter, the singer wrote: “Yes I got bullied at school. I had braces and before that, wonky teeth.”
Faith has previously described Islington Green as “very, very rough,” telling interviewers that “the police were there every day; there was a lot of violence.”
Despite calling herself “a pacifist,” she acknowledged that the challenging environment at the comprehensive shaped her character.
“The tough environment helped me develop a strong sense of self. I had to learn to stick to my guns and be stubborn,” the How To Leave A Man singer has explained in past interviews about her schooling.
Both women grew up in neighbouring areas of north London, with Cassidy born in Islington and Faith raised in Hackney.
They attended the comprehensive during the 1990s, when it had developed a troubled reputation.
The school, which has since been rebranded as City of London Academy Islington, had a notable history.
Its choir famously provided vocals for Pink Floyd’s “we don’t need no education” line on the 1979 hit Another Brick in the Wall.
By 1995, the school’s reputation had declined significantly. Tony Blair notably chose not to send his son Euan there, opting instead for London Oratory in Hammersmith.
Two years later, after Blair became Prime Minister, Islington Green was placed in special measures.
Despite the difficult environment, Faith has praised her teachers at Islington Green, calling them “incredible” and crediting them for her academic success.
She achieved all As at GCSE level, earning a feature in the Hackney Gazette at the time.
Faith went on to study contemporary dance at university in Leeds before completing a master’s degree in theatre directing at Central Saint Martins.
She has emphasised that her success was self-made, stating: “I did it all myself. I had no famous parents, no stage school, no BRIT School.”
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Cassidy took a different path, attending acting classes at Anna Scher Theatre School whilst still at Islington Green.
She was spotted there by EastEnders casting directors and landed her iconic role aged just 10. The actress recently departed the soap after three decades.