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EASTENDERS icon Natalie Cassidy has landed a role that will see her away from Albert Square.

The actress, who first starred in BBC soap from 1993, has joined the second series of BBC drama Boarders, alongside Traitors US presenter Alan Cumming.

BBC

BBC

BBC

The series focuses on five talented black inner-city teens who gain scholarships to the prestigious St. Gilbert’s boarding school.

The second series, which will air later this year, sees Traitors star Alan as Alan, a man with high standards of the students at St. Gilbert’s whilst Alan is Sharon Hail, a teacher at a rival school.

Whilst Natalie hasn’t spoken out about her role in Boarders, Alan told Deadline: “I’ve always said that letting people know you are a fan of theirs is a good idea.

“And, so it was with Boarders. I mentioned this to the producers — who also happen to produce The Traitors — and very soon after, I found myself on the set having such a fun time.”

Last year Natalie hinted at Sonia exiting the BBC soap after her on-screen character was charged with murdering Debbie (Jenny Meier).

In August BBC viewers watched as she was arrested in the Queen Vic for the murder, whilst pleading her innocence.

Last month, it was reported Natalie would leave the BBC soap for a short spell to film a new project for Channel 4.

She is fronting a four-part series titled What’s The Big Deal?, focusing on current trending consumer products.

A source said of her hiatus: “Natalie will be taking a short break, just like many of her co-stars do when they have another project

“Bosses always try to let stars spread their wings and if they can make it work with the often punish-ing soap schedule, then they’ll do it.

“Natalie’s really excited to tackle the project for Channel 4. This is another string to her bow.”

Sonia Fowler’s biggest EastEnders storylines

Sonia Fowler has featured in EastEnders since 1993, and after starring in thousands of episodes, has been featured in storylines ranging from teenage pregnancy to a cancer scare. Here are some of her biggest.

• Teen Pregnancy and Birth of Chloe Jackson (1999-2000)
  Sonia discovered she was pregnant at the age of 15. Viewers were shocked by the sudden birth, as the teen went into labour without even realising she was pregnant. Martin Fowler turned out to be Chloe’s father. Sonia initially decided to give the girl up for adoption.
• Death of her boyfriend (2002)
  Sonia’s boyfriend, Jamie Mitchell, was hit by a car driven by her baby’s father. Jamie had just bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend before being struck down by the thoughtless Martin, who was texting while driving. Although the Jamie was rushed to hospital, docs said his liver was irreparably damaged, and he ended up dying with Sonia by his side.
• Marriage to Martin Fowler and Family Tensions (2004-2007)
  In a shock twist Sonia went on to marry the man responsible for her previous boyfriend’s death. Their relationship was marred by conflicts and infidelity, and they went on to split up after just three years. At one point in their marriage Sonia was taken hostage by Sarah Cairns, who became obsessed with Martin after he flirted with her during a drunken night out. The couple went through struggles again when the adoptive parents of their daughter were killed in a car crash, leaving them responsible for Rebecca. Because of the tension in their relationship Sonia ended up cheating on her husband with one of her co-workers, nurse Naomi Julien.
• Custody Battle for Rebecca (2005-2007)
  Baby Chloe, who was renamed Rebecca, was kidnapped by her mum early in life before being returned to her adoptive parents. After Neil and Sue Miller died they awarded Martin full custody of the child because of Sonia’s extra-marital affair. The mum was left distraught to be cut out of her daughter’s life.
• Gastric Band Surgery and Weight Struggles (2014-2015)
  Sonia became insecure about her weight and arranged to have a secret gastric band surgery in Bulgaria. She later collapsed at an exercise class after suffering complications from the operation.
• Discovery of Bex’s Suicide Attempt (2019)
  Sonia’s daughter Rebecca tried to take her own life in a heartbreaking storyline which left viewers in tears. She found Bex unconscious after taking an overdose, and was devastated. Sonia blamed herself for pushing her daughter to breaking point, as she had tried to force her into going to Oxford despite Bex saying she didn’t feel ready for university.

SHOPPERS have been left fuming after waiting up to two weeks for orders from Lush amid delivery delays.

Customers are still awaiting their parcels after placing orders during the retailer’s popular post-Christmas sale.

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The cosmetics giant is famed for its annual Boxing Day sale and customers were quick to bag 50% of its bestsellers.

But furious shoppers have been left empty handed with thousands understood to be affected by the issue.

Angry shoppers have resorted to complaining to the retailer on social media.

One customer said on Facebook: “I’ve placed an order twice on Boxing Day and once on December 30 but nothing has arrived yet and their customer service has been pretty useless.”

Another said: “Mine was ordered on Boxing Day and I’ve still got nothing.”

A third said: “I ordered on Boxing Day and no order number has since been given but money has been taken and I’ve got no response to my emails.”

Another angry shopper said on X (formerly Twitter): “Can you please ship my package.

“It has been like 10 days since i ordered! I can’t do this anymore!”

Lush confirmed to The Sun that it’s battling a backlog of orders due to a surge in demand and delivery delays due to bad weather.

A spokesperson said: “In the same way as all Lush products are handmade, all Lush orders are also hand picked, packed, and dispatched by people.

“An incredibly busy festive and sale period, coupled with distribution networks already in disarray due to adverse weather conditions before and after Christmas, has left our dedicated teams with a backlog but they are working around the clock to fulfil all the orders as quickly as humanly possible.

“We are grateful for the patience of our customers at this incredibly busy time.”

Lush confirmed that all outstanding orders will still be delivered, though it is unable to provide a specific time frame or say when delivery times will return to normal.

This is not the first time Lush has come under fire for its handling of its annual Boxing Day sale.

Last year, The Sun revealed how a website crash caused payments to be taken for orders that could not be fulfilled.

In response to thousands of complaints, Lush temporarily shut down its online chat and closed its customer service helpline.

The cosmetics chain ended up refunding thousands of affected customers and issued goodwill gift vouchers as an apology.

What are my rights?

There are several ways to reclaim your money if your item is not delivered.

Claim against the retailer

If your parcel does not arrive by the date agreed, you can make a claim against the retailer.

And if you didn’t select a particular delivery date or window at checkout, you are ­entitled to a refund if the item doesn’t show up within 30 days.

When buying online, if there isn’t an option to select a specific delivery date, try to add a note stating “time is of the essence” and that you need it by a specific date.

Follow this up with an email asking the company to commit to this timeframe.

It will give you extra refund rights if something goes wrong.

Cancel and buy again

With anything you buy online or over the phone – apart from items that have been personalised such as with your initials – you have the right to a refund within a 14-day window.

This cooling-off period applies even if there is nothing wrong with your ­purchase. The clock starts the day after you receive delivery.

The only other exception is for electronic items where the seal on the box has been broken.

But when refunding you for the item, companies only need to reimburse the cost of the cheapest delivery option.

So if you paid for a ­premium “next day” or “named day” service, you may not get all of your money back.

Seek damages

If your purchase is damaged when it arrives, it is the retailer’s responsibility to then refund you.

Sometimes if you or the courier are in a rush, you might not have time to properly remove the item from its packaging and inspect it before signing.

Most of the time you are just signing to accept delivery rather than confirm the condition of your purchase – but to cover yourself, add “not examined” when you sign.

Pay by credit card

Using a credit card gives you an extra layer of protection under the Consumer Rights Act.

Section 75 protection can help claw back your cash in the event that something you buy arrives faulty or undelivered.

A lesser-known protection offered to those who make purchases with a debit card could also help in these circumstances.

Chargeback lets you ask your bank to reverse a payment if there is an issue, like not getting what you paid for.

We’ve previously explained how to reclaim your cash using these methods.

TO get the holiday rental you want, Vrbo have all the deadlines you need to avoid being disappointed.

If the January blues are hitting hard and you want an amazing holiday to look forward to, you better book it now.

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Getty

Vrbo, the online marketplace for vacation rentals, have given their deadlines by which holidaymakers should book their getaways, and it’s sooner than you think.

With January slipping away already, Vrbo recommends booking a trip for Easter in the next few weeks with the latest date being March 3.

If you decide to look for a deal by late January, over half of homes should still be up for grabs for the Easter break.

Booking after March 3 means that less than 30 per cent of homes on Vrbo are expected to be available for over the Easter break. 

So not only will you have less choice, but you can expect more expensive options too.

For those of you hoping to have a sun-soaked trip abroad this year, there’s good and bad news.

The good news is there’s still time to find the perfect holiday, the bad news is that the deadline is shorter than if you’re planning a staycation.

Vrbo has identified mid-February as the best time to book summer trips when 50 per cent of properties are still expected to be available on the site.

Don’t hang around though because by late April, more than 70 per cent of summer homes will have been snapped up in the most popular holiday locations. 

Melanie Fish, a spokesperson for Vrbo says: “It’s a mistake to treat holiday homes like hotels.

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“With space for only one group at a time, there’s more competition to book homes, especially those with standout amenities in top locations.

“When you find that dream house – beachfront, game room, bunk beds, and a pool steps from the ocean – don’t wait.

“A week or two can make the difference between being just steps from the beach or on the other side of town.” 

On the Vrbo website, Faro in Portugal, and the Balearics and Las Palmas in Spain prove to be most popular. So to have the most choice of properties, it’s a good idea to book in January.

If you’re planning to stay in the UK this summer, the pressure is still on as properties in the likes of Cornwall, Devon and Cumbria are likely to be snapped up by March 24.

Norfolk is delayed until April 7 and North Yorkshire until May 5.

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Vrbo have also offered up some very handy holiday home booking tips – the first being to book an October trip to save cash.

Everyone knows summer holidays are the high season so October is the best time to go away.

During that month, average daily rates are the lowest, such as Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Gloucestershire.

Or take a trip over to Florida in cities like Lakeland and Winter Haven as the weather remains mild. 

On the Vrbo website, there’s a way to score discounts for longer stays as well.

Alamy

Find homes with the “Monthly discount” and “Weekly discount” filters to save an average of 10 per cent on selected weeklong bookings.

Trying out properties under the “New listing discount” filter means you’ll be among the first three guests at a new property and save 20 per cent. (Price excluding taxes and fees).

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