Natalie Cassidy reveals her daughter Joanie, 9, was rushed to hospital after 'smashing her arm' in a fall at school just weeks after having metal plates removed from an injury

Natalie Cassidy has revealed her daughter Joanie was rushed to hospital after 'smashing her arm' following a fall at school.

The EastEnders star shared that her nine-year-old daughter suffered the nasty injury just weeks after having metal plates removed from her arm following an accident.

Natalie shared she 'felt like she was having a nervous breakdown' when she was told Joanie had fallen over.

The star shares her daughter with her fiancé Marc Humphreys, who she met on the set of EastEnders in 2014, and she is also mum to Eliza, 15, from her previous relationship with Adam Cottrell.

She said: 'Joanie's broken her arm again. Same arm — smashed to pieces. General anaesthetic, same operation.'

The former soap star added that prior to the accident, she and her family were planning to enjoy a relaxing few days at home in Hertfordshire.

Speaking on her podcast Life With Nat, she said: 'I'd done a little bit of work in the morning at home. 

'[Marc] went outside, put the paddling pool up, cut all the grass — thinking we're going to have a few days, like a mini holiday, at home.

'And then the phone rang. She slipped over in the hall, before doing PE. I'm speechless. It's so traumatic.'

'A few years ago she broke her arm, and it was a clean break,' she said.

'She then broke it again, they put all the metal work in. And then eight weeks ago, she went under general anaesthetic, had it all out – and has done it again.'

'I felt I was going to have a nervous breakdown, actually. I'm being really honest here. I really fell to pieces. I was not in a good place. Just her little body – and the medication and the trauma of it all.'

Natalie said that she now fears Joanie may have 'some sort of deficiency' that has sparked the multiple injuries.

She added: 'But she's had full blood tests, and everything is in range. It's absolutely perfect. The consultant actually said, ''I do think it's just really bad luck.''

'The hospital was quite warm for the few days we were in there.

'The staff… they're not moaning, they're laughing, they're joking. Just wonderful, wonderful people. We were so well looked after again. It's like a little trip, now. It's like being in a hotel!'

Natalie added that the injury has meant there will be complications around their upcoming family holiday, as Joanie will need medical clearance to fly with a cast on, and a waterproof cover to swim.

Following her exit from EastEnders last year, Natalie previously shared she'd trained to be a carer for a BBC docuseries, after caring for her father until his death.

Natalie moved her father Charles into an annexe at her family home to take care of him, with the help of a professional carer, until he passed away at the age of 84. 

Recalling their last moments together, she told the BBC: 'The final moments were breathtakingly hard but quite incredible really. 

'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'.'

The experience inspired her to take up the profession and her journey towards becoming a carer has been documented in Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together, which aims to 'shine a light' on Britain's struggling care system amid financial pressures and staff shortages.

Speaking about her decision to leave her glamorous showbiz job behind to take on a new and challenging career, Natalie told the BBC: '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. 

'But the people I met have changed my life and are so inspirational. That's what spurred me on to do this.

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

While she added that 'caring has really been a thread through my life from very, very young', as she explained how her nan lived with her when she was a child, while being cared for by her mum.