Sonia Shacks up with Wendys Man
Natalie Cassidy moves in with widower of Wendy Richard
By Rachael Bletchley
SAD Natalie Cassidy has moved OUT of her love nest - and IN with the widower of her old EastEnders' co-star Wendy Richard.
Natalie, 25, split from fiancé Ben Porter last month claiming she" needed space" to rethink her life after the death of the actress she called her second mum.
And now she has quit the north London home she shared with Ben, 40, to move in fulltime with Wendy's grieving hubby John Burns.
Natalie - who played Sonia Jackson for 12 years in the soap - was devastated when Wendy, 65, lost her battle with cancer in February.
She and a pal went to stay with heartbroken John, 45, and helped him plan his wife's funeral. And last week she collected her belongings from Ben's flat in Holloway and took them the two miles to John's£ 1million mews house in Marylebone.
Natalie - whose real-life mum Evelyn had also been killed by cancer - was helped out by a girl pal as she ferried bags, boxes and baskets to a waiting van.
Sombre
The friends swapped jokes as they packed.
But minutes later Natalie looked sombre as she left the flat for the last time carrying a pile of books - including The Wedding Planner and The Bride's Book.
A neighbour said:" Natalie looked dark-eyed and tired and it was sad to see her with those wedding books knowing that all her plans have gone awry. We haven't seen much of Ben lately but they made a lovely couple." A friend said:" Natalie has gone through terrible heartache since Wendy died but she has been a huge source of strength to John. It's terribly sad she has split from Ben.
" But the impact of the loss of Wendy has made her rethink her life and what she wants for the future." The pal added:" She had been looking forward to getting married in the summer but her priorities have now changed.
" John's been like a father to her and they are helping each other through difficult times." Both Natalie and John declined to comment.
Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe
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Originally Posted by sindydoll
John Burns is 5 yrs older than her former fiance..Give it a few weeks, media will catch them walking around HAND IN HAND...
and they will say ITS WHAT WENDY WANTED 
