Spurred on by the painful death of her dad, Natalie Cassidy trains as a carer

Natalie Cassidy looks wistful as she thinks back to caring for her dying father in his final days.

"The final moments were breathtakingly hard but quite incredible really," says the soap star.

"I just remember holding his hand and stroking his arm, and saying, 'It's OK, you can go now, we're all good, you've done your job.'"

Cassidy says she was so inspired by her time spent looking after her dad that she's traded her day job to experience life as a carer for new BBC show Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together.

The show hopes to "shine a light" on Britain's struggling care system, which is facing severe financial pressures, staffing shortages and increasing closures.

Cassidy's journey to train as a carer sees her returning to the classroom to get a Level 3 BTEC in health and social care - her first time in education since leaving school at 16. Over the year-long course, she studies topics including autism, first aid and dementia and has placements at a childhood diabetes unit, St John Ambulance and in a care home.

"Caring for Dad right up until the end of his life, and losing him, was one of the most painful things I've ever had to do," Cassidy says. "But the people I met have changed my life and are so inspirational. That's what spurred me on to do this."

Cassidy is best known for portraying Sonia Fowler in EastEnders, a role she began playing when she was 10.

"I've only ever had one job, but I've always wondered what I would have done if I wasn't an actress," she says.

Cassidy says she grew up surrounded by care. Her mum cared for her nan, who lived with her when she was younger. "Caring has really been a thread through my life from very, very young," she says.

When her dad grew older and became unwell, Cassidy and her family moved into a house with an annexe so her father could live as independently as possible while being cared for by both her and his carer, Linda.

"She made it possible for me to go to work," Cassidy says. "And Linda was there at the very end, the end moments of Dad's life. I couldn't have done it without her, because it's a very, very scary thing to do."

Her father died in April 2021.

• If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story, organisations that can offer help and support are available via the BBC's Action Line.

At college, Cassidy is surrounded by teenagers who want to become carers and paramedics. She says she is amazed by the "empathy of these 17- and 18-year-olds".

One student who stood out is Tilly. Her mother has multiple sclerosis and is paralysed from the neck down, and Tilly has cared for her mum from a young age.