Natalie Cassidy reveals she's working with her idol Ricky Gervais after branding him a 'god' - sparking speculation After Life could return

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Natalie Cassidy achieved her dream goal as she's revealed she's been working with her idol Ricky Gervais, sparking speculation his hit series After Life might be returning for a fourth season.

The EastEnders actress, 41, had previously described the comedy alum, 63, as her 'god' and admitted she was 'desperate' to meet him.

She fuelled speculation Ricky's hit comedy series After Life could be renewed for a new season, teasing she might be even be in it.

The Office actor shared a snap on his Instagram page capturing Natalie alongside the cast of the Netflix series including Kerry Godliman, Diane Morgan, Tom Basden and Tony Way, as they are all seen inside a recording studio with scripts.

'Look at this lot,' Ricky captioned and the soap star commented thrilled: 'Best day ever.' 

Natalie Cassidy achieved her dream goal as she's revealed she's been working with her idol Ricky Gervais , sparking speculation his hit series After Life might be return for a fourth season

Natalie Cassidy achieved her dream goal as she's revealed she's been working with her idol Ricky Gervais , sparking speculation his hit series After Life might be return for a fourth season 

The EastEnders actress (pictured) had previously described the comedy alum as her 'god' and admitted she was 'desperate' to meet him

The EastEnders actress (pictured) had previously described the comedy alum as her 'god' and admitted she was 'desperate' to meet him 

There is no official announcement about an upcoming season of After Life, nor a confirmation Natalie will be joining the cast, but they certainly set tongues wagging after the comedian's recent post.

During one previous interview, the EastEnders alum opened up about her admiration for the comedian and said: 'My ''God'' is Ricky Gervais. I love everything he does. I think he's amazing.' 

In March, she told: 'If I could have a drink with anyone, I'd pick Ricky Gervais. I've loved all his shows since Extras. 

'I was in a lift with him once at The Ivy but I was too nervous to say anything. I'm friends with a lot of his friends, so maybe one day it will happen. I don't want to come across as a fan though.

'I just want to meet him and say very coolly, 'You all right, mate?'', she added gushing.

In May, Natalie revealed her daughter Joanie, seven, thinks her character on the iconic soap is 'so boring' and 'fast-forwards' the parts she stars in. 

The actress - who has played Sonia Fowler since 1993 - told The Mirror: 'She'll go, 'Mummy… Sonia's so boring. I just don't like watching you on here, honestly I just don't like it.'' 

She added: 'I say, 'I've been there a long time darling, there's a lot of people who do like me.'' 

Ricky pictured in Netflix hit show After Life

Ricky pictured in Netflix hit show After Life

In May, Natalie revealed her daughter Joanie, seven, thinks her character on the iconic soap is 'so boring' and 'fast-forwards' the parts she stars in

In May, Natalie revealed her daughter Joanie, seven, thinks her character on the iconic soap is 'so boring' and 'fast-forwards' the parts she stars in

Her daughter who is her harshest critic, however, revealed in response: 'Well, I'm not one of them.' 

Natalie also revealed her daughter fast-forwards her scenes in the soap, however, she's unsure if that's just because it's her take on Sonia or seeing her mum on screen. 

Natalie also revealed that she's sure Sonia 'will end' one day, however, claimed she doesn't want her to 'die a terrible death.' 

Natalie has starred in the soap since she was 10, and during her time on the show she fell pregnant at 15, lost her love Jamie Mitchell, endured a rocky marriage to Martin Fowler, and had a shocking cancer scare. 

Speaking to the Spinning Plates podcast with singer Sophie Ellis-Bexter, the mum-of-two previously told how she formed a close bond with late co-star June Brown (Dot Cotton). 

She said: 'When I was 20, June would have been mid-70s. She would stay at my house, we'd learn our lines and drink red wine, we'd go on holiday. 

'She'd had a full career bringing up five children. She showed how you can do it all.' 

It comes after Natalie revealed her regret over accepting a huge £100k fee to lose four stone for a fitness DVD earlier this month. 

The actress took the massive fee to work on the project back in 2007 - but regained the weight in a mere eight weeks. 

The deal was for the Then & Now Workout DVD which saw her posing in skimpy pink gym wear to show off the transformation results.

And during an appearance on This Morning Natalie told hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley that she 'wouldn't do that now' as they spoke about the DVD.

She said: 'It's my own fault. They offered me a load of money to lose weight and I did it at the time.' 

'Actually looking back it is something that I wouldn't do.'

Ben then asked Natalie whether she had to keep the weight off because of her contract and she confirmed that was the case.

'Yeah of course, but I didn't keep it off. I put another four stone on.'

In 2022, Natalie told how she welcomed the opportunity at the time but later realised it wasn't the best move. 

The actress (right) has played Sonia Fowler since 1993 (pictured with Danielle Harold as Lola)

The actress (right) has played Sonia Fowler since 1993 (pictured with Danielle Harold as Lola) 

She said on the Comfort Eating podcast: 'I was like happy days, I'll have a go.

'I just thought, that's a lot of money, that's good. But it wasn't the right thing to do. It wasn't – you are losing a lot of weight in a three or four-month period, 12 or 16 weeks I can't quite remember, really low calories and just training every day with a trainer.'

The star released two weight-loss DVDs, Then and Now and The Perfect Ten in 2013.